Dragon's Tears
by imagine.believe
Summary: Allen, Neil, and Rod Leicestria came from a hailed Dragon Hunter clan. When a pair of mysterious sisters suddenly appeared in Elviaros town without their memories besides their names, the Leicestria cousins took them in. Soon, dragon attacks on neighbouring towns intensifies, and the sisters seem to know more than they let on. AU
1. Prologue

_Hello, this is another story featuring characters from A New Beginning as well as OCs. The plot is concieved by me and AkikazeRyo55 who also owns one of the OC involved._

_But before we get to the story proper, let us tell you an old tale as the back story of everything that is about to unveil in this story._

* * *

Dragon was revered as the one of the noblest lineage of monsters. In ancient times, dragons and human lived side by side in harmony. As a sign of their bond, dragons created a technique to transform themselves into humans so that they could live in their settlements without much hassle, reverting back to their draconic form when the need arose.

There was a rare gem they could only obtain from a dragon: Dragon's Tear. It was said that the first Dragon's Tear was created for a man, whom a female dragon had fallen in love with. They were inseparable lovers, until one day another dragon went on an unusual rampage and she, knowing that only a dragon could withstand another dragon's wrath, shielded her lover with her own body. She shed tears as her body returned to the Nature, and the crystallization of her genuine tears turned into a teardrop gem that sparkled more brilliantly than the brightest and clearest diamond on Earth.

Humans were greedy creatures. Upon hearing such gem existed, they began to develop method to obtain it in large quantity. They began torturing dragons with any conceivable method, only to extract that teardrop-shaped gem upon the latter's return to Nature.

The bond that had been forged for centuries was broken beyond repair.

Dragons decided to retaliate. They began attacking humans, shredding their flesh apart to avenge their fallen brethrens. It wasn't long before a war between humans and dragons erupted, a great war that dealt a huge blow for both parties before the dragons decided to retreat into the depths of forests and mountains, far from human settlements.

However, dragons, not easily forgiving by nature, returned quite often to human settlements to obliterate it, just like how humans had tortured their brethrens in the past. Granted a much longer lifespan than humans, dragons that had existed during those dark times survived long enough to pass down the tale to their progenies, and that was how dragons kept the determination to destroy the humankind alive.

Humans began developing the arts of defeating dragons, so that their race would be safe from oblivion. Those practicing the arts were hailed as the Dragon Hunters, and given higher respect than other kinds of warriors.

Some Hunters hunted down dragons to obtain the Dragon's Tear whose tale of existence was among those who survived in human history, others to keep the people safe. In any case, the tale of how dragons and humans used to be brothers-in-arms was slowly being forgotten in the trail of times.

* * *

_So... how was it? I know the characters aren't in yet, but as said earlier, this is only the back story. The characters will appear soon enough, I promise._

_Welcoming any review!_

_Thanks for reading ^^_


	2. The Two Sisters

The green-scaled dragon lied there lifelessly, its body slowly faded and disintegrated into fireflies-like aura, with its soft, ethereal glow.

"We're very grateful of your help, Hunters!" said Tony Black, Kardia's town major, bowing in the process.

"No problem, it's always a pleasure for us to be able to help!" Rod, the youngest of the three, answered with even a wider smile than the town major.

Neil Leicestria, Rod's older brother, remained stoic despite the overwhelming praises. That's just the kind of man he was. One might wonder if Rod and Neil were really related by blood, since, although the similarities in their physical appearance could be observed, they were as different as sky was from the earth.

The third Hunter was Allen Leicestria, his red hair caused him to look different—attractively so—as compared to the blond brothers. He was their first cousin, their late fathers being brothers.

Their clan, Leicestria, was a famous Dragon Hunter clan. It was believed that the art of Dragon Hunting was developed by an ancient clan that Leicestria clan emerged from. Besides, they had gained a name for themselves as first-class Dragon Hunters.

The three of them were soon on their way back on their hometown on the horseback, carrying in their stashes their payment. Five hours of horseback riding could be exhausting, especially after fighting a dragon.

"Hey, guys, why don't we take a rest for a while? There's a lake over there!"

"Are you that tired just from fighting a C-grade dragon? It didn't even worth 5 minutes of my time." Allen said, even though it was apparent that he was a bit tired himself.

Rod only laughed at the remarks. He was used to being surrounded by sharp-tongued people; he even had a pick between the rough, curt one and the I-am-larger-than-life and oh-I-am-so-amazing one.

"Come on, it doesn't hurt to take a break. Right, Neil?"

He shrugged.

"Oh, come on!" Rod pleaded.

"If you really need to, I guess, we can always take a short break." Allen finally said, still not to admit that he was pretty tired himself.

Rod grinned and the three of them changed the direction of their horses to the nearby lake, where they tied the horses into one of the protruding rocks around the lake.

They dipped their feet in and let the cool water chill themselves out. Suddenly, Rod heard a peculiar sound nearby.

"Do you hear that?"

"What sound?" Allen asked back lazily.

"The sound of streaming water! There must be a waterfall around here! Maybe just a small one, but still, let's go find it!"

Allen and Neil sighed at the same time. Rod was always a ball of energy and no one could stop him when he wanted to do something.

Without hesitation, Rod pulled Allen and Neil out and went around the lake, looking for the source of the sound he had heard earlier. Rod's grin was getting wider as the sound of the stream was getting louder and just when they found the source of the sound, a small waterfall, they managed to find something else.

Neil thought it was an illusion.

Rod thought they were ghosts.

Allen, meanwhile, believed they were goddesses coming down to earth.

There were two gentle creatures with fair, milky complexion. From this distance, all they could see was their hairs. One of them was pink, the shade of spring flowers, while the other was light blue, the colour of a cloudless summer day.

Rod stepped on a branch and it created a loud rustle.

"Hey, watch it!"

Allen's warning was too late. The two young maidens turned their heads to their direction and began to walk there, stepping out from the water.

All in their glory.

Their hairs were long enough to cover their bosoms, but not enough to prevent the three men from looking at the smooth curves of their bodies. They walked from the water to the bushes where the Leicestrias hid themselves in.

Neil took off his long cloak and threw it out from the bush before hurriedly heading back to their previous place. Rod, after a moment of inward battle, decided to follow his brother.

Allen, however, took a different approach and came out from the bushes, revealing himself to the two maidens.

"Who are you?" the pink-head asked, her voice filled with graceful authority, staring at him straight with her brilliant red eyes which had the intensity almost equal to Neil's wine-coloured ones.

None of them obviously minded the fact that Allen Leicestria was a man.

Allen bowed slightly, "Allen Leicestria from the town of Elviaros."

He then took Neil's coat and offered it to the pink-head who stood nearer to him. She looked puzzled. "What is this?"

Allen's eyes widened in surprise. How could she not understand the meaning of his gesture?

"To cover your body," he nevertheless said, covering his amusement.

The pink-head gingerly took the garment from his hand and wrapped it around her body. Allen took off his own cloak and gave it to the blue-head, whom did the same thing as her companion.

"Who are you? You don't seem familiar…"

It took some moment before the first reply came. It came from the blue-head.

"Gwen,"

Compared to her companion, she had a gentler voice, with a much more soothing after-effect. Allen took in other details of her, such as the fact that her eyes were the colour of a night sky, deep and mysterious. And he would admit only to himself that Gwen was mesmerising.

"Reine," the pink-head followed.

"So Gwen, Reine, what are you doing here? It's a bit late and it's dangerous for two maidens to go out alone." he continued.

"Umm… taking a bath?" Gwen replied.

"Taking a bath." Reine echoed.

It's obvious to Allen the two of them don't really understand what they were talking about. He started to wonder that there's something wrong with them.

He sighed, "Fine, it's dangerous here, take your own clothes and I'll escort you back to your home, so where do you live?"

Gwen and Reine looked at each other, obviously lost and confused. Now Allen was sure that there was something wrong with the girls. Who would take a bath in the middle of the lake in the middle of the forest after sunset, not afraid of something called monsters and men?

"Do you remember… where did you put your clothes?"

"Clothes?" Reine echoed in confusion.

_For the love of God._ Allen thought to himself.

"Where do you live?"

Their answer was a long silence.

He thought deeply. It would be against what he believed in if he were to leave them here.

"I'll ask again, where do you live?"

Reine sighed. "Nowhere."

"If you don't have a place to stay for the night, you can stay in my house… until we can have further arrangements. Is that agreeable?"

This time, Gwen approached Reine and grabbed her wrist, getting closer to Allen in the process.

"Thank you." Gwen smiled at him. There was something in her smile that stirred his stomach. The good way; the way that made him want to see her smile over and over again and not being bored by it.

Allen smiled back and offered his hand, in which after a bit hesitation, was taken by Gwen who was still holding Reine by her wrist with her other hand. Her hand was smooth and cold, much unlike his calloused palm.

He led both of them to where he had parked his horse before and as he thought, he found his two cousins waiting there. Their eyes widened upon seeing Allen bringing back those two girls together with him.

"Hey, Allen, I don't think it's the correct time to fetch girls." Rod said.

"Of course I know, moron. They have no place to live, no memory either, so I suggest them to stay in our place for the time being."

"What the hell?!" Neil stormed. "You can't just decide who live in our place! Where will they sleep?!"

"The attic is spacious enough for them, I think."

Neil scratched his head in frustration, then he hopped on his white stallion and galloped away in a flash.

"Is he… angry?" Reine asked hesitantly, unsure if that's the right word to describe the young man.

Rod laughed, "I'm sorry, my brother is just… a little rough around the edges." He then offered his hand, "Call me Rod, and that rough brother of mine Neil."

* * *

_With nothing in their memories besides their names, they moved in to the Leicestria household. How will things unfold from this point?_

_Stay tuned for the next update!_

_Please share your thoughts~_


	3. Inquiries

_Hey guys, I really want to update this story as fast as I did with my previous story, Colours of Our Hair, but school work catching up with me . I hope I will survive this!_

_Anyway, enjoy this chapter! ^^_

* * *

The Leicestria cousins lived in a one-storey log house with a porch and small garden in front. It was enough for three single men; three bedrooms, one bathroom, as well as one kitchen-cum-dining room. There was a spacious attic that they would usually use as a storage room. While there was indeed an empty queen-sized bed that was still usable in the attic, with the amount of dust and spiders web that had piled up for years, it was doubtful that the sister would want to stay in there.

However, when the four of them reached the place, it had been cleaned; the webs cleared, the floor was swept and mopped, the bed was fitted with new sheets and blankets, and there were even a few dresses on the bed. Meanwhile, all the items they had stored in before had been cleared to the sides and arranged neatly so that there was just enough personal space for the occupants. Rod and Allen were dumbfounded.

There was no need to ask who had done it. They knew Neil well enough.

"So… you guys will be staying here for the time being." Rod said, "Well… this is kinda late for the house tour, but we'll be downstairs. Try knocking any closed doors and you will find one of us."

"But maybe you want to avoid the door at the left corner near the stairs," Allen added. "That's Neil's."

The two young men then bade farewell and left the sisters on their own. After making sure that they were out from earshot, they began to talk in their native language. "_We might be able to find some useful information, staying with Hunters and all._" Reine said.

They then lied down on the floor. "_It's rather… cold._"

It was then Reine began to consider the piece of clothing on the bed. She then rose and studied it, untying the ribbons and began to put it on herself. It was a bit too big for her body, but she indeed felt warmer than before. Meanwhile, Gwen had a significantly higher tolerance for cold, so she felt no need to wear the clothes.

"_They wear clothes,_" Reine reminded her.

It was only then Gwen picked one of the remaining dresses and wore it.

* * *

She seemed to be slightly older than them; her pinkish brown hair was cropped just above her shoulders and her similar-coloured eyes exuded a certain kind of gentleness Reine and Gwen never knew existed.

"She is Yuri, a childhood friend," Rod introduced her. "And she is the seamstress of the town!"

Yuri bowed her head slightly. "It seems that the dresses yesterday were too big," she said. "Well, I shall take your measurements."

Reine, the gutsier of the two, stepped forward as Yuri took out a piece of long string from her bag. Yuri put the string around her neck, causing Reine and Gwen to jerk. "Don't choke her!"

"I won't. I am just taking her measurement so the dress' collar won't choke her."

Reine took a deep breath and calmed herself down. Yuri then stretched the string along her shoulders, then around her chest, waist, and along the length of her limbs. Yuri then did the same thing with Gwen before she retreated downstairs, to the dining room, where Allen and Neil had been waiting while the sisters preferred to stay back.

"They seem to be… mysterious." Yuri commented as she took a seat on one of the vacant chairs.

"They sure do," Allen agreed. "They remember nothing but their names. We didn't even know their clan."

"Well, I was pretty surprised when Neil asked for dresses," she said, "I'd thought Neil was into… cross-dressing."

"I am not!" Neil retorted.

Yuri smiled, "You should've told me more about the situation, Neil. I'm not a stranger, you know?"

Neil scratched his head but said nothing.

"Well, I will go back and make a few dresses for them."

"Thank you so much," Allen said, "We'll pay for it, Yuri."

"No, it's okay. Consider this as a favour."

"We can't do that to your business!" Rod insisted.

Yuri sighed. "Let me give you a discount, okay?"

"As long as it won't lead you to bankruptcy." Allen replied with a smile. "We can't lose our only seamstress."

Yuri smiled, then she remembered something. "Maybe you should bring them to the town hall."

"Town hall?"

"Yeah, maybe you can get more information about them there?"

"That's a good idea."

* * *

The town hall, one of the grandest building in Elviaros town besides the church that overlooked the town square where townsfolk would usually gather and socialize, were regarded as the seat of the town's mayor, who was the highest authority in Elviaros. It was where the people of Elviaros would come when they needed help in solving their problems; from missing cat to murder cases. Hence, it was only appropriate for the Leicestria cousins to bring the sisters to the town hall regarding their mysterious apperance.

The five of them were greeted by a clerk, whom after heard the case brought them directly to the town mayor, Xaverio.

Mayor Xaverio was a middle-aged man with a rich ebony-coloured hair and almost equally dark eyes. He sported a thick moustache which he regarded as his prized possession, taking care of it very carefully. He was well-respected by the townspeople, having assumed the office for the last fifteen years.

"So, you are saying that these two maidens appeared outside of the town and have apparently lost their memories?"

"Yes, sir."

He then studied the sisters carefully, taking note of the colours of their hair, eyes, everything about them. Reine flinched at the intensity of his gaze. Somehow, he gave a certain vibe to her—the kind that she didn't like.

"Your names?" he inquired slowly.

Somehow, Reine got the feeling she shouldn't tell him. Rod opened his mouth, but much to her relief, Neil cut his younger brother off. "They don't remember their names."

Neil's statement shocked the other two men; it was very uncharacteristic of him.

"I see…" the mayor mused. "Where are they staying now?"

"In our house," Allen replied.

"Temporarily?"

"Until we can sort the situation out, yes."

The mayor nodded understandingly. "In that case, let Gill knows that now your household now consist of five instead of three."

"Thank you."

Gill Xaverio was the mayor's adopted son. Being twenty-seven years old, he was of the same age with Allen, the oldest of the cousins. His hair was pale blond, and he had a pair of icy blue eyes which seemed to penetrate everything they set their sight on. He greeted them with a cool professional air around him.

"What are their names?" he asked.

"They don't remember it." Neil replied before anyone else could.

He sighed. "Have you informed the mayor about this?"

"Yes."

He then nodded, "All right. You may go now."

They walked out from the town hall, and as always, the sisters preferred to walk at least five steps behind the Leicestria cousins. It gave the males to have a little discussion without any worry that they would be heard by them.

"Why did you lie?" Allen asked sharply.

Earlier, Neil had noticed Reine's uneasiness around the mayor. He didn't know why, but his instincts told him it was the right thing to do although he detested lying. "Just because."

Their conversation was cut short by a sound of scream coming from behind. They turned around to find that suddenly fire had appeared on a man's sleeve, but before Allen could summon some water to control the fire, Gwen had somehow frozen the sleeve, extinguishing the fire in the process.

"I'll bring this to the mayor!" the man threatened. "Who are they, anyway? They're not locals, right?!"

"I'm sure we can settle this on our own." Rod said with a conciliatory tone.

"She almost burned me!" he pointed at Reine, whose face was almost as red as the fire she had supposedly started.

Rod turned at Reine, "What happened?"

"He… asked me to go with him. I don't want to. He pulled me." Her voice was in a staccato rhythm. "He wouldn't let go."

"She started the fire on my arm!" the man shouted.

Allen grabbed the previously burned sleeve, his touch caused the ice melted into water in an instant. "I can't see any fire here," he said. "There isn't any burn mark on your skin either."

"It's because that woman—" he pointed at Gwen, "froze my sleeve!"

"Which means you have nothing to prove your case before the mayor," Allen leaned in slightly, his steel blue eyes suddenly flashed like lightning, "and please be more courteous to women, especially those not from Elviaros. You don't want them to have the wrong impression on our town, no?"

Gwen could feel a sudden cold pressure that emanated from Allen. The man trembled under it, cold sweat forming from his forehead. Before long, he ran away.

"You cheated," Rod said with a grin, "Intimidating him with your aura?"

Allen smirked. "I don't like discourteous people like him."

"But it doesn't mean everything has ended," Neil said, glaring at the sisters.

* * *

"So you are Elementers?"

An Elementer was defined as someone who could control one of the basic five elements: water, fire, air, earth, and lightning. Although it wasn't a rare occurrence, there weren't that many of Elementers either. Even within the Dragon Hunters society, a sizeable number of people survived using their brute strength.

Reine and Gwen kept silent. Rod then decided to use a different approach from his brother. "Can you show us what did you do earlier?"

Reine laid her palm down and soon a fire appeared above it. As compared to the other elements; fire and lightning were rather different in the sense that Fire and Lightning Elementers had to be able to draw out their energy to create fire and lightning, while the other three elements usually made use of the already existing natural sources.

That's why Fire and Lightning Elementers were the hardest to find.

Allen then recalled how Gwen froze the fire. She didn't extinguish it simply using water; she used ice. An advanced Water Elementer was identified by how he was able to control different forms of water, and she managed to convert gaseous water molecules in air to ice with such ease.

The three of them began to wonder who the hell these young maidens were.

* * *

Thanks for reading! ^^

Please rate and review :3


	4. Their Motives

After what happened yesterday, Rod insisted that Reine and Gwen should learn how to defend themselves.

"And controlling their elements," he added. "Maybe this will help in restoring their memories."

It was met with general approval. Allen was a Water Elementer himself, so he could be the one tutoring Gwen despite his feelings that she barely needed it. However, one problem remained.

"We have no Fire Elementer that can be her master!" Neil grunted.

"Well, you can be one." Rod grinned. "I thought controlling fire and lightning followed the same principle."

"Theoretically, yes," Neil admitted grudgingly. "But I don't know whether it's really true."

"Then it's time for you to find it out!"

Sometimes Neil wondered how can Rod had this easy going attitude on everything.

* * *

Allen had brought with him a pair of short swords for the sisters. The swords were specially made for beginners, he already made sure of that by making them light enough for even women to carry around.

He put the swords on the table where his two blond cousins and the sisters had been waiting.

"I have brought these."

Upon seeing the short swords, one could tell very easily that Gwen was not very keen about learning it. However, regardless of her feelings, she did not say anything.

"You need it to protect yourself from monsters." Allen said.

"Or men like Allen!" Rod added.

"Hoo, what do you mean by that exactly?" Allen was pissed off.

Rod grinned sheepishly. "So, Reine, Gwen, do you know how to use a sword?"

Gwen shook her head, while Reine kept quiet, looking at the piece of sharp irons left on the table.

"Is it different from the one I saw in that room?" She pointed at the kitchen.

"Of course!" Neil replied, exasperated.

_How could she equate a sword with a knife?!_

* * *

The three men brought Gwen and Reine to an empty field on the outskirts of the town, where it was still relatively safe with only a few kinds of non-aggressive monsters around. Allen and Neil decided to be spectators from a safe distance.

Rod started to explain to the sisters who were now holding the short swords each, "So, what you need to do is to take them in your hand and swing! Swing it with your intuition! You'll get it with some practice!"

Reine hold the sword with both hands and started to swing it around. Her movement was not perfect, but they were good enough. They started to wonder if Reine had had experiences with swords.

In the meantime, Gwen kept quiet.

Rod approached Gwen and told her to try moving her arms and the sword. After a few moments, she started to move her arms straight to the front of her face and swing them down about ten centimetres down in a very slow motion.

Allen couldn't hold his laughter back. Her movement was too awkward.

Rod, kind as he was, tried to correct her stance and the way she held her blade. However, there was no observable improvement even until the fifth try.

"This won't go anywhere." Neil grunted.

He finally stood up, picked up a long stick-like branch and swung it around a few times before he approached Gwen.

"Neil, can you help me?"

Neil didn't answer. Instead, he swung the branch from the side, aiming for her head. Neil had this belief that some… rougher approach was the best way to teach a skill. He had no intention of harming her; he only wanted to prompt her reflex.

His movement was so fast that Rod and Allen didn't even have time to block him. Gwen, however, seemed to be able to read Neil's move, but nevertheless, she didn't budge. She looked straight to his eyes.

Neil was about to stop his attack when, much to his surprise, the branch was cut in two. Reine's sword was now gripped firmly in her left hand, its blade pointing at Neil's neck.

"You can't hurt Gwen."

Neil was struck by her conviction to protect her sister. He dropped the branch and opened his palm. Soon, a flash of white appeared along with a distinct sound of creaking lightning.

Reine's eyes widened in surprise.

"Hey! Hey!" Rod tried to call as a lightning began to form in Neil's palm.

Gwen nudged her. "He is no ordinary person," she whispered in their native tongue.

Reine then glanced at her sword. She decided to play along. She threw it away, making sure that it made contact with his lightning for a moment, causing the blade to attract the lightning and drew it away from them. Rod sighed in relief while Neil smirked. "You're smart."

Allen rose up from his place. "Since Gwen isn't the physical type, I guess we'll just hone her element control. Agreeable?"

Before they could start, however, a bright yellow smoke appeared from the direction of the neighbourhood town. It quickly caught the cousins' attention. It was a code; a dragon attack had occurred.

Allen turned to Gwen, "Go back to the house with your sister."

The cousins quickly mounted their horses and left the place, leaving the sisters behind. "What should we do?" Gwen asked in their native language.

Reine stared at the direction of the smoke. She could feel a dragon's presence. _Was the smoke a signal?_ she thought inwardly.

"_We're following them. We shall see whether they are worth of our time._" Reine replied. "_I want to see for myself… the power of the hailed Leicestria clan._"

With that, a pair of scarlet wings appeared on her back, tearing her dress in the process. It wasn't as big as the pairs on a dragon's back, but there was no mistaking it: the way it majestically spread from her back, the scale and bone pattern, the sharpness of its edges.

It was a pair of a dragon's wings.

Reine turned to her sister, "_Let's go, Gwen._"

Gwen nodded and a pair of blue wings emerged from her back. The sisters leapt at the same time and then they began flying, carefully maintaining their levitation and distance.

It wasn't long before they caught up with Leicestria cousins. Hiding behind one of the taller trees, they became a witness of the cousins' prowess which made them worthy of bearing the name of one of the most ancient and revered Dragon Hunters clan.

"_Do you think they can do it?_" Gwen asked carefully. She had never encounter a human Water Elementer of Allen's level. The sheer amount of aura he emitted could easily intimidate younger dragons and mid-level fire monsters.

Reine fixed her eyes on Neil, the first Human Lightning Elementer she had encountered (she almost believed Lightning Elementers only existed among dragons and monsters). He leapt forward and with one movement of his great sword that was sharpened by a cloak of lightning, the dragon fell to the ground, one of its wings clipped and disintegrated back into Nature.

"_Murdering our parents with that level of power? That's an insult._" she said, biting her lower lip. "_But, the fact is that… someone from Elviaros had murdered them. We have to find him._"

* * *

_What will happen next?_

_Stay tuned for the next chapter!_

_Please rate and review!_

_Thanks for reading! ^^_


	5. Bloom

_A lot of things have been going on, but I won't give excuses: I'm sorry for the relatively slow update ._

_Soooo... consider this chapter as an apology! ._

_And thank you for the encouraging reviews! I'm really glad to read them! Really!_

* * *

As soon as one of its wings was gone, a dragon was almost as good as done, because wings were dragons' greatest asset in their mobility.

The dragon that Leicestria cousins faced was no exception. It fell down to the ground with a thunderous thump. However, before Neil could land another strike to completely immobilise it, the dragon raised a barrier of earth that effectively nullified Neil's lightning-enhanced blade.

Neil took three leaps back, and that's when his younger brother, Rod, swung his boomerang (at least three times bigger than the size that children used to play with). If Neil enhanced his blade with lightning, Rod infused his boomerang with his wind, making the ends sharper and enabling Rod to control its movement. And in one swift movement, the boomerang cut through the earth barrier, as well as the dragon's neck, cutting one of its major arteries. Soon, the dragon disintegrated into small, fireflies-like aura spheres.

"Hell yeah!" he exclaimed as he jumped happily.

From the place they were hiding, Reine and Gwen were speechless. They were not totally impressed by the Leicestrias' combat prowess, but it was how they had complemented each other in combat. For dragons, a very independent race, such nearly flawless teamwork rarely exist. Even a duo like Gwen and Reine was considered rare and their race had reasoned it with the fact that they were born simultaneously; that they had originated from one essence.

Suddenly, Reine heard a crack from her feet. She looked down and realised the branch she was stepping on was breaking. Before she knew it, she fell to the ground.

"Who's that?!" Rod asked in a sudden spike of alertness.

Reine cursed the fact that humans had much thinner skin than dragons; if she had been in her dragon from, falling from that height wouldn't have left a scratch on her body, but now she could feel the pain all over her body, and she couldn't move even when she heard someone approaching.

Rod's clear blue eyes greeted her, and his face suddenly changed from one of alertness to one of worry. "Reine?! Why are you here?!"

He then looked around, "Where's Gwen?"

Gwen, sensing that it was secure to come out, emerged from the bushes, and that was when the other two men came to them.

"What are you girls doing here?"

Gwen and Reine try to come up with a good reason, one they could fluently say in human language.

"...lost." Reine muttered.

Rod frowned. "What?"

"We don't know our way back home, so we followed you." Gwen said.

Neil and Allen emerged from the bushes and they were surprised to see the sisters. Rod told them what he had been told and it seemed that the two other men could trust the lie.

That was when the three of them noticed Reine's injuries. Rod then took the initiative to take Reine into his arms and carried her rather effortlessly. "We have to bring you to the healer!"

"NO!" she vehemently denied, _What if they found out who we are?_

"There will be no objection." Allen said authoritatively.

"But—"

Reine's word was cut short when Neil's palm touched her shoulder. All of a sudden, Reine laid motionless in Rod's arms.

"Reine!" Gwen exclaimed.

"Hey! Aren't you making it worse?!" Rod could feel a jolt of electric current in Neil's palm just a moment ago.

"No," Neil replied calmly, "But she'll shut up until we get to the healer."

* * *

The healer, a young maiden named Elliana Adelberth—commonly called Elli—put her palm on Reine's back and soon a green glow appeared surrounding her palm. Reine was terribly afraid of this unknown art since dragons would usually let their injuries healed on their own with the help of Nature. Elli calmed Reine down patiently without knowing the real cause of her patient's anxiety. However, when Reine felt the warmth from the technique, similar to the feeling when she let Nature healed her, Reine was able to control herself. After some moments, some of the superficial cuts disappeared from Reine's skin.

When the treatment was over, she helped Reine into her dress and came out. "She will be fine." she told the cousins. "She is extremely terrified, though. I wonder whether she has had… traumatic experiences."

Gwen sighed in relief. At least Reine didn't revert to her dragon form (which would happen if their aura level was low and unstable enough) and the healer wasn't able to see through their techniques.

* * *

"We'll come back before sunset." Allen reassured the sisters before the three cousins turned and left.

The door was closed before the sisters and they turned at each other, "_What are we going to do until sunset?_" Gwen inquired.

"_What else?_" Reine replied, a mischievous smile on her face. "_We're following them._"

Gwen nodded and they crept behind the cousins. Despite the research they had done about human's life, there was nothing that could best a real-life experience. Both sisters were indeed curious about human's livelihood and how it would be different than that of dragons.

They faced a small problem when the cousins parted ways. However, Reine quickly came up with a plan. "_You follow the redhead,_" she said, "_I'll follow the blonds._"

"_Why?_"

"_The redhead seemed to be… tamer around you._"

"_Oh, alright._" She said, "_Good luck, Reine._"

"_Yeah, you too._"

* * *

Neil and Rod Leicestria were working as animal trader; to be exact, they were employed by the trader-in-chief so they were more like helping hands than actual traders although they worked like ones.

Rod Leicestria was the first to notice the scarlet-eyed maiden and he immediately approached her, "What are you doing here?"

Reine didn't immediately answer; she needed some moments to translate the question into Draconian (language of dragons) as well as her answer into human language. Eventually, she settled with the answer: "Exploring."

Rod raised one of his eyebrow, but nevertheless he gave the girl a friendly grin. "How was it, then? Your exploration?"

_What the hell!_ Reine muttered inwardly. _I don't understand what he's saying! And why the smile all of a sudden!_

Reine averted her eyes, deciding on a silent response. Rod sensed her confusion and he took her hand. "You can stay here, I'm sure Boss won't mind!"

"Well, is she your fiancée, Rod?" a plump middle-aged woman warmly called Jessica by most townsfolk asked. She was the owner of the establishment, and she acted somewhat like a surrogate mother to the brothers.

Rod face flushed red, "N-no, Ma'am!"

Jessica laughed. "Well, I heard the story, she's welcome to stay."

Reine faced the woman, who emitted a warm aura around her, and bowed her head slightly. In dragon custom, it meant something like thank you while a deeper bow conveyed respect.

Reine sat on one of the empty high tables while Rod continued tending on the counter. "Where is Neil?" she asked hesitantly.

"He's tending to the animals at the barn," Rod replied. "Wanna me to call him?"

Reine shook her head.

Time passed and nothing much happened. She watched the steady line of people behind the counter, Rod's warm smile as he greeted the customer, as well as Jessica's competent work.

_Aren't they bored?_ she asked inwardly.

Some time later, Neil emerged from the side door that connected the store and the barn, and he saw Reine was kicking into the air, her face gloom and dull.

"If you're only here to look around, feel free to leave." he said coldly.

Reine threw her glance aside. A small flame escaped her nostrils when she exhaled harder than usual out of annoyance. "Hey! Don't breathe fire as you like!" Neil warned before he grabbed her. When Jessica saw the scene, she smiled. "So, the girl is Neil's huh?"

"Don't talk rubbish!" Neil groaned before he stormed off the store, prompting Jessica—who could see the heart of gold beneath his roughness—to laugh softly. However, her laugh came to a stop when she realised Rod was looking at the door where his brother and the girl had left, spacing out.

* * *

Neil brought Reine to the highest point of Elviaros; a cliff from where one could see Elviaros in its entirety. Looking at the sky, Reine spread her arms wide and ran, feeling the wind against her body. It gave her a feeling akin to flying which she was fond of.

It felt like liberation, until she felt something jerked her back.

"Are you crazy?!" Neil roared.

Reine opened her eyes and realised she was only one step away from falling from the extremely steep edge of the cliff.

Reine looked down; Neil's arm was wrapped around her waist. The sensation his skin gave her was something she never knew before; his aura—typical of Lightning Elementers—was sharp and piercing, but the touch of his skin was nothing like that.

In fact, it felt warm just like being near a well-lit bonfire; a sensation she loved almost equally with the feel of flying free in the skies.

* * *

Meanwhile, Gwen followed Allen to one of the warmest building in town. Unlike his cousins, Allen had a great talent in forging which was the reason why he picked a side job in a smithy as an apprentice blacksmith.

Because of her element, Gwen generally disliked extremely warm places. She put some distance from the smithy which apparently, caught Allen's attention.

"Gwen? Why are you here?" he asked.

"Umm, I'm just walking around."

"You miss me at home, so you walk around?"

"No." she replied quickly with a straight face.

Compared to Reine, Gwen was more proficient human language. She almost spoke like a normal human do, if not because of her emotionless bluntness: another characteristic of dragons.

Allen laughed at her response. Even though it was obvious to everyone that she is saying it for real, for Allen, Gwen was just a shy girl who won't admit that she missed him.

"Flirting so early in the morning? You sure don't know how to behave, don't you?"

A voice came from behind. Gwen turned her head and found a young man with pale yellow hair. She had recognised him as someone from the Town Hall, someone she had met a few days ago. Allen's face turned a bit sour upon seeing him, nevertheless, he plastered a smile on his face.

"Gill, what business do you have here?"

"What business do I have here? I will never have any business with someone of the likes of you."

Allen didn't budge, but Gwen could sense from his aura that he was getting annoyed. Gill adverted his attention to Gwen.

"You are the girl who lives with him right? How can you stand being with a jerk like him?" he spatted.

Gwen couldn't stand Gill's intimidating aura and she intuitively took a step back and grabbed on Allen's rolled sleeve.

"Allen is a good person." she simply said.

Allen was clearly surprised by her words. It's not like he didn't believe it himself, but he didn't expect Gwen to defend him.

"You have to know, he is just pretending!"

Gwen took a step back again, she really felt uncomfortable around the major's son.

"That's enough." Allen interrupted, positioning himself between Gwen and Gill, "I thought you have a lot of work to do? Or are you slacking around? For someone like you to slack, of course it is not true, right?"

Wrinkle formed on Gill's forehead and at last, he pulled back. Inwardly cursing Allen along the way.

"I don't like his aura." Gwen said just as Gill's figure was out of her sight.

Allen chuckled, "I know right. He is one hell of a..."

Gwen stared at Allen, and suddenly Allen decided not to continue talking, to prevent himself from cursing in front of Gwen. "Anyway Gwen, thank you." he said instead, smiling towards the blue-haired girl.

"Thank you." she replied, slightly bowing her head.

* * *

Gwen ended up waiting for Allen to finish his job. She waited around the park area, a few metres away from the smithy.

Suddenly, droplets of water started to fell from the sky. It didn't take long before, it became a heavy rain.

Allen quickly grabbed his coat and look for Gwen. He knew that she was waiting around the area and as long as he remembered, there was no shelter or whatsoever around there.

He had wanted to cover her and bring her to sheltered area, but when he saw her, he couldn't bring himself to do that. He just stood there, mesmerised with the view presented before him.

Her movements under the rain was so graceful that it seemed to him as if she was dancing. And her face, was something he couldn't explain; to put it in its simplest form, she was smiling. But, there was something else in her smile that he couldn't pinpoint; something that made her smile so different… so breathtakingly different from other smiles he had ever seen.

* * *

_Seems like triangles are forming... if you get what I'm implying. :p_

_How things will go from this point onwards? Stay tuned to find out!_

_Thanks for reading! Please leave your review ^^_


	6. Cold Warmth

_Tararararara... it's another chapter! ^^_

* * *

"_I like the feel of human skin,_" Reine told her sister once they were alone in their room. "_It's warm._"

Every time they were alone, they would talk in Draconian, and that encouraged Reine to talk more than she would in human language.

"_Then I won't like it._" Gwen replied almost immediately.

Reine smirked, "_I know you love the feel of the redhead's aura._" She said, "_It's cold._"

"_He's a Water Elementer. That is no surprise._" Gwen defended, "_and his name is Allen._"

Gwen suddenly sneezed. That surprised the two girls since dragons didn't sneeze thanks to their thick, scaled protection against cold. "_What happened to you?_" Reine asked.

Gwen simply shrugged.

* * *

Early in the next morning, a letter arrived at the Leicestria household delivered by an owl. Rod, always the earliest bird, called his brother and cousin to the dining room upon reading the letter.

Allen grunted; he was never a morning person. "This better be important. I'll freeze you if it isn't."

"It's an urgent request from Valshell Town," Rod replied with an uncharacteristic grimness.

Allen suddenly became quiet. He straightened up his back and folded his hand together like being in prayer, using it as his chin support. "They have requested for assistance before noon,"

"They sent it using bird?" Allen asked.

"Yeah."

Bird-mail, unlike a mailman, was the most effective and efficient way of sending a message, especially over a great distance. It was enough of a hint for the Leicestrias for the severity of the situation.

"We're going." Neil finally said.

"I'm not against that, but who's going to take care of the sisters?" Allen—one who would really be concerned about a maiden's well being gravely—asked back. "Someone has to stay."

"Rod, you stay." Neil quickly responded.

"Eh? Why me?!"

"Allen has to go; he has the strongest elemental attack among us." Neil said, "and I'm your elder brother."

Rod sighed; he acknowledged that the rationale of Allen going was justified, and no one would know better than him that Neil, protective as he was, would never let him go when time permitted.

_Oh, well, staying back shouldn't be that bad._ Rod tried to console himself inwardly, _I don't need to be on horseback for days, that's for sure._

Suddenly, they heard the sound of door opening and hurried steps from inner part of the house. Reine soon emerged and bolted towards Allen, grabbing the collar of his shirt and jerked him up.

"Hey! What's this?!" Allen complained.

She let out a hoarse growl, "What did you do to Gwen?"

"Huh? I didn't do anything!" He replied, jerking her hands off him. "Did anything happen to her?"

"She… she…"

Having no idea what she should say, Reine ran back to the attic. The cousins, sensing that there was something wrong, quickly followed suit.

Gwen was on the bed, shivering with her eyes closed tight. Allen was the first to approach her, and as he put his hand on her burning skin, Gwen could feel the coldness of his skin.

_That's strange,_ the dragon mused to herself, _Reine said human skin is warm… but it's cold._

Nevertheless, Gwen loved the sensation, so she didn't really mind.

"Well, this is what you get from playing in the rain yesterday." Allen said eventually. "I'll ask Elli to come by later in the afternoon."

"Will she be… okay?" Reine asked.

"Yes, why? It's just a fever."

Reine was tempted to ask what 'fever' really was, but decided that she shouldn't, because from the tone he used, it seemed that this 'fever' was a usual occurrence among humans.

Yesterday, Neil had shown her the place where many books could be found; the library, Neil called it, and so Reine made a mental note to look up on this 'fever' when Gwen got better.

"Anyway, Reine," Rod said, "Allen and Neil had… some business in other town, and they'll be leaving soon."

"…okay."

"I'll stay behind, don't worry!" Rod grinned.

* * *

Elli came just before lunchtime. Again, Elli used that green glow on Gwen. After several moments, her hand stopped glowing and she took it back. "I'll make some medicine. It should help her recovery." Elli said.

Reine bowed her head slightly, "Thank you."

Elli came back after several hours passed with a purple-coloured liquid in small bottle. "She should take a teaspoon of this after her meal,"

"Thank you," Reine said, not knowing what else to say.

Elli smiled.

Reine, having a sharper sense of smell than humans, could immediately identify the herbs Elli used to make the potion.

_Purple herb, spring grass, roseroot…_ she said to herself.

After taking the medicine, Gwen was indeed getting better. Reine was amazed by this; she had never known that the combination of these herbs could produce such potent relief. And that green glow…

If there was anything terrifying in humans was how they could utilise the Nature and bend it to their favour despite not being as Nature-blessed as dragons. Blessing of Nature had granted dragons enhanced durability, strength, element-control arts, and lifespan; but she had seen for herself how a team of humans could easily best a dragon.

Reine took the cloak—she had learned to wear it every time she went out—and dashed to Elli's place. Elli, the gentle young maiden she was, greeted her with a smile. "Is there anything I can do to help you?"

"Teach… teach me." Reine said.

"Hm?"

"Teach me… how you use that green glow."

"Oh, do you mean the Healing Art?"

Reine nodded.

Elli hesitated for a moment, "It's not that I don't want to… but not everyone has the affinity to it."

"I can try." Reine declared with a firm resolution.

Elli had heard the story about the peculiar sisters—living in a town with the size of Elviaros meant news travelled pretty fast—including the fact that they had lost their memories. Elli deduced, validly yet wrongly, that Reine's conviction was due to her repressed memories; maybe Reine had unconsciously known that she did has that affinity towards the Healing Art.

Elli eventually smiled, "Sure, let's try."

* * *

_Dragons. Humans. Both have their own strengths. How will these play out? Will Reine be able to learn Healing Art: an art developed by human race, or will it blow her cover off?_

_Thanks for reading! Please rate and review!_


	7. Conviction

_Like I said, I haven't forgotten this story yet!_

_Frankly speaking, this is harder to write than Colours series, but I hope this story is as enjoyable! ^^_

_To LegendarypkmnNyunyu: in this story, aura is more like spiritual energy. Like MP in games, chakra in Naruto, reitasu in Bleach... something along these lines. So there isn't really Aura Guardian, just those who manage to control their aura well or not. And yeah, Allen is one of the better ones._

* * *

"So take out your hand and try channelling your aura to your palm."

Reine did as asked and a red glow appeared around her palm. Elli smiled, as if she had been expecting it. "You're a Fire Elementer, right?"

"Yes,"

"So, this is how it will appear if you simply channel your aura to your palm. This is aura to attack." Elli explained, "To execute Healing Art properly, you have to have that conviction to heal, not to kill."

_Conviction?_

Dragons, as instinct-driven creatures, had been struggling to comprehend the complexity of a human's 'heart'—in other words, feelings—even if they could feel it as well. Even during the era where they lived side by side, dragons, a race that saw mating as a mere way of reproduction and preserving its lineage, could not fully understand expression such as 'make love' that was used by humans. For dragons, love was a puzzling thing that set their instincts astray; something that led their instinct to survive to be redirected to another creature. And how do you make something that you couldn't see in the end? For dragons, that didn't make sense. Feelings that dragons could be in tune with were those similar to their survival instinct, which translated into hate and fear.

Hence, Reine could not comprehend what Elli meant with conviction although she knew what it translated to, roughly, in Draconian.

Elli seemed to catch her confusion. She smiled understandingly, "What did you do when you saw Gwen had a fever?"

"I… came to the Leicestrias." Reine replied.

"What did you feel then?"

"Something is wrong… with Gwen," she said, "and I don't know what to do."

"If you can make that something wrong right, would you do that?"

"Of course!"

"That's the feeling I was talking about."

Reine nodded. The dragon tried to recall what was going on that morning, how her chest felt like being pounded when she saw her sister was burning; how the heat she felt from her gave a displeasure instead of the usual opposite effect on her. Slowly, the red glow around her palm turned green, but it didn't transform fully into Healing Aura; it became a mixture of red and green.

"Well, this will indeed take some time." Elli admitted. "You've done good enough, considering this is your first time."

"Really?"

"Yes," Elli replied with a reassuring smile. "Look at the time, it's almost lunchtime."

"Oh! I have to deliver this to Rod!" Reine exclaimed, before bowing slightly to Elli, "Thank you, Elli."

"You're welcome."

There was a new routine for Reine; bringing Rod's lunch to the animal shop. It was Rod's idea, to give the girl something to keep her busy. Rod taught her the basics of using cooking utensils, thinking that she might have forgotten than as well, and gave her access to some simple recipes. Reine would usually just drop the lunch around lunchtime and quickly headed back to the house, refusing to leave Gwen on her own for too long. In that respect, Rod could see a bit of Neil in Reine.

Nevertheless, it was a win-win solution for both parties:

For Reine, it meant new knowledge about humans.

For Rod, it meant free lunch and a companionship, although only for a short while.

* * *

Gwen leaned back and made herself comfortable, surrounded by books that Reine had borrowed from the library. It was books about human history: a subject that both of them became interested in after living for some time in Elviaros.

Just as Gwen was enjoying the books, a small, blue bird came to her, dropping a sealed letter on her lap. Gwen stared at it, confused. As if sensing her feelings, the blue bird pecked the paper lightly, prompting Gwen to reach and open it. Apparently, it was a letter from Allen.

_Dear Gwen,_

_I hope you've felt better by the time this letter reaches you. By the way, the carrier of this letter will be my blue jay, Tyroll._

_So, how are you feeling right now? You must be pretty bored; but fret not, this letter will definitely release some of your boredom._

_Well, I'll start by telling you about Valshell, the town I'm in now._

The letter went on to several more paragraphs, detailing about Valshell. Allen seemed to be very observant, from the way he put down a minute detail of the town to the letter. Gwen found herself visualising the words he had put in, imagining Valshell. It seemed to her that Valshell was starkly different from Elviaros, and indeed, that was what Allen wrote near the last paragraph of his letter.

_I hope I can be back soon. By the way, Tyroll will usually wait for your reply to this letter. However, should you not wish to reply, which I doubt, just give the blue bird some nuts to eat._

_Regards,_

_Allen Leicestria_

Gwen scrambled out of the bed, searching for writing materials. She already had some papers, so all she needed were pen and ink.

Her head felt very heavy when she suddenly stood up, but she just felt that she couldn't leave the bird without anything to bring back to its master.

She sloppily went down the staircase and searched the nearest drawer. By the time she opened the second drawer, she was almost at her limit.

Her breathing became more irregular and just when she was about to fall, someone had managed to catch her from behind.

"Hey, are you crazy?"

Upon hearing the voice, Gwen looked behind. Her head was spinning, but she could still recognise that the voice belongs to Gill, the mayor's son.

"I'm looking for pen and ink…" she said in between her huffing, "I need to write a letter."

"Huh? Who would ask you to write a letter when your condition is like this? You're burning, and more importantly, where is your sister and Rod? Do they not know how to take care of sick person?"

With the energy she had left, Gwen only managed to answer with one word, "Allen…"

When she mentioned Allen, an idea ran through his mind. He knew that Allen was fond of the sisters, especially Gwen, the younger of the two.

If I manage to get closer with her, maybe I can annoy Allen, he inwardly thought.

Gill had been just walking around before when he saw Gwen from the window, struggling with her fever, walking down the staircase without anyone helping her. As a responsible soon-to-be mayor, he felt the need to help her. Apparently he had made the right decision. He could definitely use this chance.

"If you need a pen and ink, I coincidentally bring it with me, I can lend it to you later. For now, I will carry you back to your room." he said, plastering a smile on his face, "By the way, where is your room?"

Gwen pointed upwards where her room was located.

_The attic?_ he thought, _What kind of a person, if not that damned Allen Leicestria, would let a girl sleep in the attic?!_

Gill felt a genuine pity for Gwen. She deserved better than this.

Gwen, oblivious to Gill's feelings, began to write her letter using the pen and ink that Gill had lent her.

"You should rest," Gill insisted. "What kind of man that asked a sick person to write a letter?"

Gwen didn't reply. Instead, she quietly wrote using the pen and ink Gill had lend to her.

"Why?"

"He gave my sister and I a shelter even when he didn't know whom we were."

"I would have done that if I had met you!"

"But that's not what happened." Gwen stated matter-of-factly.

Hearing her response, Gill couldn't stop wondering why he was getting drawn to this girl.

* * *

_How will Reine overcome in her struggle to learn Healing Art, to transform her aura into one fully to heal?_

_How will the relationship between Gwen, Allen and Gill develop?_

_Stay tuned for the next update!_


	8. Twist in Their Stories

_Hey, thanks for the reviews! ^^_

_Mew-Star-Mew: Gwen will be learning something else, just find that out in this chapter! ^^_

_kinicia: wish granted... in a way. just read ahead! ^^_

_and thank you for all of the readers who are keeping up with this story! ^^_

* * *

The bell chimed and Rod knew who was coming without even looking at the door.

"Reine!" Rod greeted cheerfully.

Reine curved her lips into a small smile. "Your lunch," she said.

These days Reine hung out longer in the animal store; Gwen was getting better, and she urged her elder twin to socialise more with the townsfolk to improve her human language.

Thankfully, Rod was talkative. Reine did learn a lot of new words from him. He was so different from his elder brother, the other blond.

_I wonder, is he still alive?_ Reine asked inwardly. Unlike Allen who regularly sent letters to Gwen, Neil seemed to vanish into thin air. Reine thought the stirring up in her stomach when she thought about it was 'curiosity', unknowingly mixing it up with 'concern'.

"Let's take a walk!" Rod suddenly declared, snapping the pink-haired back into the present time.

"Will that be… alright?" Reine asked carefully.

Jessica smiled, "Well, the store is kinda empty today. I can afford giving Rod that extra break."

"Thanks, Jessica!"

Without any warning, Rod took Reine's hand and dashed out from the shop. Rod took an advantage of his element, using it to propel their run.

_Humans are resourceful_, Reine noted inwardly.

They stopped at the forest. The leaves were a mixture of red and orange, and they covered the ground like a blanket. Reine looked up; Rod had noticed that this girl loved looking at the sky, and she was rather upset earlier, so he figured that some forest air would help her ease up and the sight of clear sky that was unobstructed by the leaves would please her.

Rod tried to start a conversation with Reine and the latter tried her best to reply him. It was rather awkward at first, but the easy-going vibe that Rod had managed to soften the tension in Reine and she began to talk more confidently in human language.

Rod noticed sometimes she used rather strange phrases, and he thought that she was of foreign origin. He didn't think it was weird, though; in fact, he found those strange phrases of hers were rather… cute.

Reine's eyes were then fixed at a particular tree. It was one of the tallest trees in the forest. Without saying anything, Reine started climbing up.

"Hey!"

Rod looked up and then he realised what she had noticed earlier.

A hatchling was stranded on the highest branch of the tree.

Reine climbed up fearlessly and nimbly, and it didn't take her long enough to reach the hatchling. She reached out her arms to the tiny creature.

The tiny creature, sensing that she was a dragon, seemed reluctant to approach her and that didn't surprise Reine since most animals, especially those close to humans, were also rather afraid of dragons. "I won't hurt you."

Reine wouldn't usually care about wild animals; she understood that they lived under Nature's law, and it shouldn't be intervened so easily. However, she couldn't let a young hatchling fend for itself without its parents. She knew how upsetting it was; and the thought of letting others to be that way unsettled her. Reine moved closer to the hatchling carefully.

Eventually, the tiny creature sensed the goodwill of the dragon and moved to her hand. "Good baby," she cooed. It was then the branch she had stepped on broke, being too thin to support her weight.

"No!" she cried out, knowing that she couldn't release her wings.

"Reine!"

Rod propelled himself up using his wind to catch Reine just in time, and cushioned their fall using a sphere of wind. "Are you alright?!" Rod asked immediately.

It was then he realised their faces were so close to each other. He could even see the thin pink eyelashes that framed her brilliant scarlet eyes, her small nose, her smooth lips. He could see her cheeks turned slightly pink. And he could swear he heard her heart was racing against his own batting heartbeat.

He quickly let go of her, "I'm sorry! Were you hurt?"

Reine said nothing and hung her head low, pouring her attention to the hatchling. She really didn't know how to describe what's going on with her.

* * *

Gill sat beside the bed, silently watching the blue haired girl who was reading a book with 'History of Elviaros' written in the cover.

"Gwen, don't you get bored, reading books every single day?"

Gwen shook her head, her eyes still fixed on the book she had been holding onto.

Gill sighed, no matter what he said, Gwen's response was always the same. Suddenly, a brilliant idea came into her mind.

"Hey, rather than reading a boring book, why don't you learn how to play a musical instrument?"

"Musical instrument?"

Gill actually succeeded in getting Gwen's attention this time; she looked at him curiously. She had heard of it before, things called "Musical Instrument", but she had never seen one in real life before.

"I always bring one with me," Gill reached for his pocket and took out a small rectangular bronze box with a lot of holes on it, "It's harmonica, my father taught me how to play it when I was young."

Gwen studied the harmonica, but no matter how hard she was trying to figure out what's so special about the small box, she couldn't get any results.

"Here, I'll play you a song."

Gill placed the harmonica in front of his mouth and started to exhale and inhale interchangeably while his hands opening and closing the holes at the back of the small musical instrument, producing a soft and sweet melody.

Something inside Gwen was stirred up by the melody, in a good way. She had never heard those kind of sounds before, especially one produced by a small box.

After finishing the piece, Gill stretched his hand and offered the harmonica to Gwen, "How is it? Do you want to learn how to play the harmonica?"

This time, Gill really caught her attention and she nodded enthusiastically.

* * *

"So, it ran away again."

Allen sighed, seeing only the remnants of crushed crops and large footprints in front of him. It had been a week since he and his cousin left Elviaros to hunt this particular dragon, but everything until now had ended up as a wild goose chase.

"I guess we must retreat again for today." his blond cousin said, looking at the sun setting and started to mount his horse.

Allen knew very well that its dangerous to continue the search late night. In the end, he mounted his own horse and made his way back to the Inn they have been staying at.

When both of them arrived at the Inn, Allen quickly threw himself on the sofa, tired from all the fail attempts of pursuing this particular dragon.

"I wonder how the sisters are doing." he mumbled, then looked at Neil's direction, "Neil, you are worried about them too, right?"

"That's none of your business."

No matter how long they have lived together, Allen couldn't help but getting pissed off by this blond cousin of his, especially by how he refused to open up even to his own family.

It wasn't long before Allen's faithful companion, Tyroll, came and landed on his lap. A smile formed on his face and he started to stroke the little blue bird on the head.

"Right, I should write a reply letter to Gwen."

That was the moment he realised that there was no paper left. He did write a significantly long letter to Gwen, but he didn't remember anything about using all the papers available. He looked around and found something interesting.

The dust bin was apparently full of crumpled papers. Even from far away, one could tell that they were considerably new, but nevertheless they were all crumpled. With curiosity, Allen took one of the paper and straighten it, hoping to see the content.

He smirked. It was full of scribbles, cancellations, and blotted ink spots, but he could read several words—written in the distinctively Neil's handwriting—quite clearly, such as:

_To Reine,_

Neil sucked at writing letters. Especially to girls.

"Maybe I should give him a crash course on Writing Letters to Ladies 101."

* * *

_So, apparently Neil tried to write a letter to Reine, although it seemed to have failed._

_But, hey, it's the thoughts that counts, right?_

_Gill managed to catch Gwen's interest using music: how will Allen react if he finds out about this?_

_Stay tuned for the next chapter!_

_Thanks for reading! Please tell me what you think! ^^_


	9. Homecoming

_Hey guys! Thanks for the reviews (kinicia and Mew-Star-Mew); I was imagining how Neil would scratch his head before crumpling the paper and throwing it into the bin HAHAHA._

_To all of you, enjoy this chapter!_

* * *

_Damn it! Why did I even bother trying to write a letter to that fire girl?!_

His thoughts were running wild as he began the hunt for the day with Allen. His head was spinning.

_This is so troublesome._ He thought, _I want to finish this quickly and go home._

"Hey, Neil, focus!" Allen reminded him. "You're spacing out again."

Neil shook his head hard. Allen was right; he should focus.

* * *

After the third lightning strike, the large beast finally fell to the ground and a soft light enveloped its body before it disintegrated and completely disappeared into the thin air as tiny spheres of aura.

"Good job." Allen said as he patted his cousin on the back.

He remained silent. Although he was usually not much of a talker, Allen sensed that this time, his silence was rather different.

"Come on, aren't you excited to meet that girl?" this time, Allen nudged him, "You even wrote sooo many letters for her. At least you tried."

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Neil shrugged his cousin's hand off his shoulder.

"Well, those crumpled papers in the bin should've been letters addressed to her, right?"

"That's nonsense." Neil replied, his head was spinning once again. "There's no way I'm sending letters to that fire girl."

Allen smirked, "I'd never specified which girl I'm talking about yet you conclude it should've been Gwen's sister." He teased, "I'd never known you like the fiery kind; lightning and fire go well together, huh?"

"Shut up!"

Suddenly, Neil coughed and another pain shot through his throat as he tried to suppress it. Allen was too far, and maybe too excited in the thoughts of seeing Gwen again to hear it. Neil accelerated his horse with Thor, his hawk, hovering above his head.

* * *

"There, there, Sol, you're such a good boy."

Reine patted the brown little bird's head as he ate the oat crumbles on her hand. She had decided to name the tiny creature 'Sol' and it seemed to have taken a liking on that name.

"I think he loves it very much. Look at how he eats!" Rod exclaimed.

"I know right! Sol's so cute!"

Reine continued to poke Sol and the bird replied with a happy chirping. Both of them laughed upon seeing the bird flapping his wings happily.

They spent their times playing with Sol and when they realised, it was time for them to go back, Rod still had to go to work after all.

Reine bid goodbye to Sol, but this time, the bird jumped to her shoulder and perched, before flapping his wings and chirped joyfully.

"You wanna go home with us?" Reine asked.

Again, Sol flapped his wings and chirped.

Reine and Rod couldn't help but smile because of the little bird. "Why don't we bring Sol back? He can be your pet!"

"My… pet?"

"Yeah, just like Allen and Tyroll, Neil and Thor, and me and Arcus." Rod explained. "He can deliver letters for you when he's bigger!"

"Like what Allen did to Gwen?"

"Yes, something like that!"

Reine thought of it for a moment and looked at Sol. She knew Sol wanted to go back with her.

"All right," she eventually said, gesturing to Sol, "Let's go back."

Sol chirped cheerfully and obeyed his new mistress. They then made their way back to Leicestria's residence. Rod needed to go back to his work, but he decided to escort the girl and her pet first. _It doesn't hurt to spend more time with them anyway_, he thought.

On their way back, they could hear someone calling for Rod. A girl with long blond hair approached both of them.

"Hi Rod! Long time no see!" she greeted him enthusiastically.

"Rachel? Hi! How long has it been? You've gone for quite a long trip this time!"

"Yeah, I had a loooot of work this time round." Rachel replied, then her attention went to the girl who was standing beside Rod the whole time, "Oh, nice to meet you! You are the girl who is freeloading at Leicestria's house right? My name is Rachel, I'm a farmer in this town!"

"Freeloading?" Reine tilted her head slightly in confusion.

Without any hesitation, she answered her question, "It means you're staying there for free!"

"I'm doing the cleaning and the cooking for them." Reine pouted.

The blond smiled amusedly at her. Reine blew some air from her mouth and a small fire escaped. Rachel gasped in amusement, "A Fire Elementer?!"

"A pretty good one," Rod assured her.

"Oh yeah, where's Neil? I haven't seen him in a long time as well." Rachel asked, shifting her attention back to the blond boy.

"He's out of town for work. He should be back soon though."

"That's a pity. Oh well, tell me I'm back when he's back here, okay?!"

"Sure!"

With that, Rachel walked away and waved her hands towards the two.

"Who is she?" Reine asked almost immediately after she was sure Rachel wouldn't be able to hear them.

"Rachel, she's Neil's best friend."

"Even a guy like him can have a best friend? I'm surprised."

Rod laughed. "My brother's a pretty nice guy, you know!"

"Yeah, right." Reine rolled her eyes.

* * *

"So, you hold it like this and blow into the hole." Gill explained while showing her exactly how to do it, producing a low tone.

Gwen took a look at the harmonica, before she inhaled long and blew into it with all her might.

The tone produced was loud and sharp, even Gwen herself was shocked by it. It was so different with the calm, soothing one produced by Gill.

"No, that's not how you do it. Try one more time, this time, blow slowly and softly."

Gwen tried again, but the sound never came out right. She tried again and again and eventually, she managed to get it right after a few tries.

"That's it! You're quick to learn." Gill exclaimed.

Gwen smiled, there was a feeling of accomplishment in her heart and it really warmed her heart; the delightful kind of warmth.

_Her smile is one of a kind_, Gill remarked inwardly. _A graceful and classy smile._

If there was any common ground for these two young men who always bickered when they were in the same room for any seemingly sensible reason, it would be their blooming fondness of Gwen.

Silence fell between the two of them and that was the moment Gill realised the heavy sound of her breathing.

"Hey, are you still not feeling well? I think we can stop for the day, it's not good to push yourself too hard."

Gwen looked at him with a bit of disappointment, "So, I cannot play the harmonica?"

"I mean, you should stop and rest now. You can play again tomorrow."

Gwen herself was actually feeling very tired. She had not recovered fully, but surely she was much more better than last week. Again, she smiled at Gill and nodded her head obediently, "Thank you."

"It's not a problem at all! I think it's a common courtesy to help each other, yes?"

Suddenly, the main door was open and two young men emerged from the door. Gwen was beaming, "Welcome back!"

Allen smiled at the greeting, "Hey, Gwen, we're back. Miss me?"

However, his smile soon faded once he noticed her companion.

"What are you doing here?" he asked grumpily.

"It's none of your concern." Gill replied, smirking.

Gwen quickly noticed the change in the atmosphere around her and opened her mouth, "He comes here to visit me."

"Oh, really?" Allen asked once more, clearly doubting Gill on this matter.

"And what if I am?" Gill asked, as if challenging Allen.

Allen was getting pissed off by Gill's behaviour that he wanted to freeze him so badly when suddenly, the front door was once again opened.

"Oh, hey guys!" Rod greeted cheerfully.

"We're back!" Reine chimed.

Neil raised his eyebrow, "You two are together?" he asked doubtfully, glancing at Reine for the briefest moment. She looked more cheerful, and much friendlier than when he had left. That must be due to Rod's companionship.

Something was then burning inside his chest; some kind of fire in his heart… something he'd never known he possessed.

Then again, every time he looked at or thought of (yeah, he did although he would never admit it) her, he always thought of fire. So, maybe this fire was ignited by the fact he was staring at her person. She was _the_ fire girl, after all.

It didn't pass Neil's thought that maybe the fire might be ignited by his younger brother instead. After all, wind could blow a spark into fire, given the right circumstances.

_Gill and Gwen, then Rod and Reine…. how long have we been gone?_ Neil and Allen thought in synchronisation.

"Yeah! From the forest!" Reine replied innocently, not understanding the nuances in his question.

"We're not together _together_," Rod quickly clarified, before immediately changing the subject. "Rachel's looking for you, she's already back in town!"

Neil nodded. He felt increasingly uncomfortable in this room, with his body slowly burning up. He began shifting his weight on his legs, only to find them shaking.

Reine was the first to notice his discomfort. "What happened to you?"

Neil raised his arm, ready to shoo her away. Then, his head became much heavier and he couldn't take it anymore. His body swung forward and Reine deftly caught him. The moment their skins touched, Reine could feel the burning heat on his body. It was the kind of heat she despised, the kind of heat she got when Gwen was having a fever.

"Neil!" Allen and Rod called frantically.

* * *

_What happens with Neil?_

_Stay tuned to find out!_

_Thanks for reading ^^_


	10. Never Knew, Never Forget

_Hey guys, thanks for the patience to wait for this story! I hope you are enjoying this story so far ^^_

* * *

Neil felt his body was as heavy as lead, yet his head light as cotton. He felt… warm.

_What's going on?_

He tried to open his eyes, slowly and carefully, because as he moved his eyelid, the burning sensation on his skin came back and it felt like something was keeping his eyelids shut together. However, once he was able to open them, the first thing that came into his eyes was Rachel, sitting just next to his bed. Her face looked so relieved when she saw him waking up, "Neil!," she called, "You worried us!"

"W… what?"

Neil tried to prop his body up; his back was aching like mad. Seeing that, Rachel immediately helped him, removing the piece of cloth that was on his forehead a moment ago in the process. "Do you need anything?" she asked.

"Tell me what's going on."

"You were out for three days with high fever. Elli said something… typhus? Must've gotten it when you're in Valshell."

He looked around; there was a large bowl of water near his bed in which Rachel put the cloth.

Neil then looked at Rachel; the farmer who had spent her childhood playing with him and Rod and Allen. Being an Earth Elementer, Rachel had the ability to nullify Neil's lightning when it got out of control. It was extremely helpful since Neil tended to lose his control over it once he lost control over his temper; and for that he was extremely grateful to her. She had always helped him.

"Thanks, Rach…"

"Oh, sure, no problem," she replied with a smile.

* * *

She saw them. They were holding each other—at least that was how it seemed to the dragon. Then the bowl of cold water with which she planned to replace the one that was already in his room slipped from her hand, creating a thumping sound as it hit the wooden floor.

Reine stared at her reddened palm; she had never expected that being a human meant such a plunge in her defence against cold.

Dragons, due to a much greater affinity towards their element, were cursed with amplified weakness against their opposing element, although it could stand element attacks from humans. Yet, since now Reine was in her human form, her skin was much smoother with no scales, and much more defenceless against cold; her worst enemy. Holding a cold bowl for a prolonged time would feel like thousands needles piercing into her skin. And, of course, the weaker her body was, the worse the effect of cold would have on her.

Rod, who was passing by, noticed the occurrence and immediately went to her aid. He had been worried about her for the last three days, yet they were so caught up in their respective duties that he hadn't found any time to talk to her at all up until now. "Are you alright, Reine?"

He then saw the dark circles below her face. "Have you been getting enough sleep?" he immediately asked. Unbeknownst to Reine, Rod was the witness of her succeeding in emitting a pure healing aura; she managed to do that on the second night she was watching Neil.

It was her frustration over Neil's unbroken fever that had initiated her healing aura; and since then, Neil's fever—as if had achieved its purpose—went down at a steady rate.

Rod grabbed Reine's hands. They were as cold as ice. The warmth from Rod's skin immediately reached Reine, and she was stunned—in a good way—by it. Rod proceeded to blow some warm air to her palms as he rubbed it carefully against his own hand, slowing bringing the temperature of her skin up.

"You must take care of yourself, Reine!" Rod said, "I don't want you to fall sick!"

Reine, not knowing what to say, nodded gingerly.

That was when the door to Neil's room was opened and Rachel emerged. "What was that sound?" she asked.

The opening of the door was enough for Neil to see what was going on behind it. He saw it clearly; how Rod had held Reine's hand as if it was as fragile as a piece of glass. He moved his blanket away and stumbled to the door.

"Neil!" Rod called, not releasing Reine's hands, "You're awake!"

For a moment, Neil's violet eyes met Reine's scarlet, but their eye contact was broken by Rachel's voice, "You shouldn't be out from your bed yet!"

Rachel put her hand on his broad chest, supporting him back to his bed, and that didn't escape Reine's eyes. She could see it… how different Neil was what he was around Rachel. She averted her eyes from Neil, and she was met by Rod's clear blue eyes that were clad in concern. "Why don't you go see Neil?"

"He has that girl," Reine replied flatly. "His room will be too filled."

"Crowded, you mean?"

Reine paused awhile before eventually nodded. Rod smiled, "Okay, then. I'll clean up the water, you just rest, then."

* * *

With Gill surprisingly patient coaching, Gwen's skill in harmonica improved drastically. By now, they were able to have a simple duet. Gwen delighted and was mesmerised in the way that the melody that Gill's harmonica produced could match hers, despite them being different on its own.

Alone, the melody was simply another melody in nature.

Together, they seemed to bring out the best in each other.

Gill, diverting from his initial goal to simply annoy Allen by getting closer to the girl he was fond of, found himself being fond of the girl himself. And the more day he spent with her, the stronger those feelings took root inside his heart.

Allen Leicestria was about to walk to his workplace, the blacksmith, when he saw that scene. Jealousy sneaked into his heart; surely, Gill had sneaked in while he was gone in Valshell.

And it seemed to Allen Leicestria that it was a success.

He increased the pace of his steps, from a leisure walk to brisk steps, and that was when Gwen noticed his presence. She sprung from her place, ignoring Gill's shocked calls for her name.

"We'll play again tomorrow," she promised him before running towards Allen.

A small part of Allen was overjoyed when he noticed it, so unconsciously he slowed down his pace against his pride.

Gwen finally managed to catch up with him, and by then they were already some distance away from Gill. What prompted Gwen was something that even the dragon herself couldn't comprehend; it was the way Allen had looked at her earlier. It tugged something inside of her, nudging her to give chase, and so she immediately reached for his hand.

"What happened to you?" Gwen asked.

"You seem to be quite close with Gill,"

"We are… friends."

The way she had hesitated when she said they were friends nudged Allen. He didn't know that it was simply because of Gwen's lapse of forgetting what's the word 'friend' in human language and thus took it as something more; that in actuality, Gill and Gwen were more than friends.

He gently removed her hands from his, "I need to work." He said coolly before turning back and continuing his journey to the blacksmith.

Gwen didn't give up in chasing him; the way he looked at her bugged her. She knew something was wrong; it wasn't another cranky morning of his… she just _knew_. She didn't know how to explain it… but even the aura Allen had emitted told her something was wrong with him. And Gwen hated it when something was wrong with someone near her.

Allen entered a building she had never known; a building that emitted a large amount of heat. Gwen's steps froze in its place. She hated extremely warm places, and especially so since she wasn't clad in her protective scales. Yet, Allen was entering that place.

She wanted to know what happened with Allen.

She didn't want to go in.

Yet, she really, _really_ wanted to know what was wrong with Allen.

Gwen took in a deep breath and she opened the door. At the sound of the bell chiming greeting the customer, Allen turned around, only to find it's Gwen.

"I told you I—"

His words were halted by the expression on Gwen's face that grew so pale. Allen tried to see what Gwen was looking at.

_There was no mistaking it._ Gwen said inwardly as she stared at the symbol on the wall. There was no way she could forget about it.

There was no way she could forget the crest embedded on the blade that pierced her father and mother's hearts.

She could feel herself trembling, and when Allen approached her and gently shook her, she inadvertently let out a loud cry as it came back to her.

The blood that spurting out from their chests.

Them disintegrating back into Nature before her eyes.

There was no way she could ever forget that.

* * *

_Reine now sees it for her own eyes: how Rachel and Neil are close... and how different Neil is when Rachel is around. And then, there is Rod who seems to be always there just in time for her._

_Allen working in a place bearing the same symbol with the one embedded on the blade that killed Gwen's parents... and he is a Dragon Hunter..._

_Could it be?_

_Thanks for reading! Please rate and review! ^^_


	11. The Crest, The Mark, and Her Name

His initial annoyance at her spending time with Gill became so trivial at the sight of her bewildered face. And her cry.

He would never want to hear that heart-wrenching cry again. It was as if her cry had torn out his soul apart from his body.

Allen put his arms around her and pressed her close, "What is it that scare you?" he asked.

_Scare… me?_ Gwen asked inwardly.

Gwen fought so hard to hold back her tears.

_Dragons should never cry. Dragons who shed their tears will die._

She repeated those lines over and over again as she tried to compose herself. That was the only reason why she shed no tear on her parents' death, even though she had witnessed it with her own eyes without the regal composure that Reine had.

Allen stroked her head carefully until he felt that her tremors had subsided. And that's when he braved himself to ask again, "What is it that scare you?"

Gwen took in a deep breath, but found no word that she could utter. In the end, she raised her trembling hand towards the crest.

That was the crest of Saibara, the master blacksmith of Elviaros under whom Allen had taken in apprenticeship. As per the regulations in the Blacksmiths' Guild, all full-fledged blacksmiths were required to carve their personalised crest in their creations, especially weaponries, for identification purposes.

"That is my master's sign. Do you want to meet him?"

Gwen nodded, not knowing how else she should respond.

Thus, Allen brought the bluenette to his master, an old man of sixty with solid build, stern composure, and beard that covered his whole chin and neck, as well as moustache with a triangular outline.

"What is this, young man?" he asked. "Who is this young lady?"

"She is Gwen, the one I told you about."

He rubbed his beard carefully, thinking deeply. "Oh, yes, I remember," he said, "and what's brought her here?"

"Blade…" Gwen finally managed to mutter the word beneath her breath, although her voice was too soft to be heard by Saibara.

"I think she saw a blade you've created somewhere," Allen deduced, "If you don't mind, would you show to her all the swords you have made, Saibara?"

Saibara was reluctant to agree to the request, after all such information should be confidential since the drawing would include the composition of each blade and the way he had forged it, which was the core of the arts of blacksmithing.

Allen, knowing his master's reluctance, decided to press the matter even further. "She lost her memories, Saibara. Maybe your kindness would let her to regain them."

Despite his gruffness, Saibara was actually a kind man; he would not ignore someone in need of help, especially when he was the only one who could help. After giving the matter some more thought, he decided to look through for the parchments that held the record of all the blades he had forged that had been bounded together.

Saibara returned with a stack of parchments, and he put it before the young lady. "You may look through this."

Gwen bowed her head slightly while Allen said, "Thank you, Saibara,"

Gwen flipped through the parchments for some time until she stopped at one particular page. It contained the drawing of a short sword with a blade length not exceeding four palms' length. The handle was described as one-handed, made of gold-coated steel with an intricate dragon scale pattern and round pommel.

Gwen was sure this was the sword. She run her fingers on the drawing and it felt like she had touched the cold blade once again. The piercing coldness of the metal she had tried to forget came back to her nerves—maybe Reine's decision to bury the sword was right, after all.

"Ah, this sword…" Saibara mused. "I didn't make too many of them, it's a limited edition."

Allen turned to Gwen, "Do you see one of them recently?"

Gwen nodded.

"Where?"

Gwen stared right into Allen's icy blue eyes and Allen could see something that no one else might be able to; that particular pained look he was too familiar with.

In her dark blue eyes, he could see the reflection of his own eyes.

And thus, with no word needed between them, Allen could grasp what Gwen was going through.

Gwen averted her eyes from him as soon as she realised that he was reading into her. She looked at the elderly blacksmith, "May I… may I tell my sister about this?"

"Your sister?"

Gwen nodded. "My elder sister," she said, "she… needs this more."

Saibara took that page out from the binder and handed it over. "You can give it back to Allen here when you are done with this."

Gwen bowed her head, "Thank you,"

* * *

Reine removed her palm from Neil's head and the green glow that previously cloaked her palm disappeared soon enough. "You are getting better," she said.

Since the day Neil regained his consciousness, Rachel had never come to the house again. It was already late Fall, so Rachel would have her hand full with harvesting yams or eggplants, or whatever other crops she might have in her farm. Rod offered to bring Reine to the farm, telling her that it was a spectacle, and Reine promised she would consider the offer—something that pleased him.

For now, Reine focused herself in nursing Neil back to health. After all, it would be beneficial for her practice. Yet, she was tending to him with a genuine devotion of a Healer. To anyone else, it was apparent that she was tending him out of genuine concern and care instead of by cost-benefit analysis like she had wanted herself to believe.

As she turned back, Neil took her by surprise by grabbing her wrist. Reine turned back, "What is it?" she asked.

"I want to ask you something."

"Okay."

"You…"

Neil's speech was interrupted by Gwen's sudden intrusion into the room. Gwen, only focusing to follow Reine's aura, had paid no attention to where she was going. Gwen realised too late that Neil Leicestria was there, too, but the sight of his made her remember something peculiar about him.

It was the question he asked just before he went for Valshell.

And the one he never managed to.

* * *

_"How do you spell your sister's name?"_

_It was a very sudden question out of the blue. Gwen replied it honestly, "R-E-I-N-E."_

_Neil seemed to be surprised for a moment, "Then, h—"_

_"Neil, quick! We don't have much time!" That was Allen._

_Neil scratched his head in frustration, "Argh! Never mind!" he groaned as he bolted towards Allen._

* * *

Gwen swatted away those thoughts as she focused herself back to the matter at hand. She saw Neil released Reine from his grip and Reine came towards her, "What is it, Gwen?" she asked, "You look… white."

Gwen knew Reine had meant 'pale', but she didn't bother to correct her. Not now.

She brought her outside of Neil's room and then handed the parchment over.

Just like Gwen, her scarlet eyes widened as she saw the image before her. She then felt the burning pain at the nape of her neck, as if the seal was branded afresh on her skin again. She put her palm over her neck that she had always covered with her long hair.

Beneath her pink hair, on her skin, there was a mark that would distinguish her even among the dragons. She had only seen the mark once; she had seen in at the back of her father's neck as he told her the story behind her own name. Her father deep, calm yet strong voice echoed inside her head.

_"Reine Ignis Sectarius. That is your name, and this is the reason why your name is Reine."_

There was a weight in her chest, as she _knew_ this mark was the reason why that night had happened.

As a dragon, and as a daughter, she couldn't let the murderer of her parents roamed free in peace. She knew she could burn him in Hell, and she would; she would make Hell on Earth only for him. She had sworn that upon her pride as a dragon.

She spoke in Draconian, "_We will find him,_" she swore once again, "_and we will make him pay for killing our parents._"

* * *

_The sisters seem to be closer to their goal: finding the murderer of their parents._

_Yet..._

_What is Allen's past that caused him to be too familiar with the pained look in Gwen's eyes?_

_What is it that Neil want to ask Gwen and Reine but never does?_

_What is the mark on Reine's neck? And how does her name tied to that mark?_

_Stay tuned to find out more!_

_Thanks for reading! Please rate and review! ^^_


	12. Say My Name

Allen noticed that Gwen had become gloomier since her visit to the Blacksmith; she said nothing when she returned the parchment to him that night, and as if all the words had been taken out from her throat, Gwen was muted. By now, 'conversations' would consist basically of someone asking her and Gwen nodding or shaking her head.

This worried Gill Xaverio, too, and for the first time in their existence, Gill came up to Allen with a genuine concern, and for the first time in their existence, the two young men could put aside their differences and agreed on something.

In Elviaros, among all other festivals like Harvest Festival or Cooking Festival, each season had their own distinct festivals to celebrate the beauty of that season, usually celebrated at the late part of the season when its beauty was at its peak, just before the transition between seasons began.

Allen and Gill agreed that it would be good if Gwen were to spend her time in the festival, and for the first time in their existence, Gill agreed that it would be better if Allen were the one escorting her, since they stayed in the same house after all.

And so, one morning, Allen came up to Gwen when the latter were preparing the table for breakfast. "Gwen, let's go to the festival tomorrow evening." He said with a sassy hand on his hip as per normal.

Gwen stared at him with an inquiring look. She didn't know what a 'festival' was.

"Yes, festival, with night bazaar and splendid view of the town." Allen assured her, "And it would even be more fun since you'll be going with me!"

Gwen hesitated for a moment, but Allen wouldn't allow that to happen. "I'll take you there after work. I'll come home early. Be prepared by 6 in a decent dress."

* * *

"_What is _'festival'_?_" Reine echoed Gwen's earlier question as they were cleaning the dishes after the Rod and Allen had left for work and Neil retreated back to his room (despite his insistence that he's fine, knowing him, both Elli and Jessica were still reluctant to let him go back working). "_How the hell am I supposed to know? Your human language is better than mine, no?_"

"_Well, that might be true._" Gwen admitted, "_Yet, I have never heard this _'festival'_ thing. Allen said it will be fun._"

"_Then go, maybe you can learn more about humans._"

"_How about you?_"

"_I shall stay,_" she replied, "_That Lightning Elementer…_"

Gwen smiled, "_You sure care for that Lightning Elementer, more that you'd admit._"

"_It will be beneficial for my training,_"

Care. For dragons—primarily ruled by their survival instinct—it meant to be sharing that instinct to the object of caring. Dragons did care for each other, but only to those of the same blood much like how Reine cared about Gwen and vice versa, and how their parents had cared for them. Reine never knew whether that care could extend to a dragon outside of the immediate bloodline, or even extend to the human race; so she was pretty sure it was not 'care' that she felt towards the Lightning Elementer.

Between the two, Reine was more open-minded about humans' technology and advancement and more readily to adapt, yet it was indeed Gwen who had comprehended the depth of a dragon's heart. Gwen knew, despite their more limited understanding of the concept of 'love' or 'affection' than those of 'hatred' and 'fear', that didn't mean that dragons were incapable of attaining that state—and now she began to realise that it could extend beyond that barrier of blood.

And maybe even the barrier between dragons and humans.

Although Reine had said repeatedly that it was something more like 'cost-benefit' exchange, Gwen could see no reason why Reine would stay up all night just to ensure that his condition would not worsen, nor could she rationalise why Reine would willingly withstand all those cold attack every time she carried the bowl of cold water to his room to lower his temperature.

Clearly, if it had been a 'cost-benefit' exchange, Reine had given more than her share of the bargain. Therefore, Gwen knew that it was 'care' that Reine had felt towards Neil Leicestria. It was no longer a cost-benefit analysis; it was an act of affection.

Yet, knowing how stubborn her sister could be, Gwen preferred to keep this observation to herself. At least for now.

"_Whatever you say, Reine,_"

* * *

The next day, just before sunset, Gwen left the house in one of her more cherished dress with Allen who had washed off the grease from working and put on one of his best outfits as well. Rod had left earlier to attend the festival with Yuri (he had asked Reine earlier, but just like she had told Gwen, she preferred to stay in the house).

Reine cleaned the house after saying goodbye to Gwen and Allen. She then proceeded to wash the dishes from dinner, before she went back to her attic room.

She threw herself on the bed.

_Festival?_ She thought, _what's so special about that?_

She looked at the ceiling, hating the feeling that she wasn't able to see the sky. She thus rose and looked for the ladder. It was not at the usual place. Reine then stepped outside of the house, only to find that the ladder was already put against the wall.

_Huh? Who did that?_

Nevertheless, she climbed the ladder up to the roof, and much to her surprise, she found Neil Leicestria. Not knowing what to say, Reine sat next to him, putting a small distance between the two of them.

"Why are you here?"

"None of your business."

"You're annoying." Reine retorted.

"Then you should've just left me alone for the festival." Neil argued back.

"I don't know what that is."

"Then go find out."

"I don't even know what a festival is!"

Neil was perplexed at her reply. "You should've gone with Rach."

"Huh?"

"The blond girl? You met her, right?"

Reine's mind then flew towards the golden-haired young woman. "Oh, Rachel."

"Yeah, that's Rach,"

"You call her 'rag'?"

"Rach!" Neil repeated, exasperated. "What's your problem?! How I call her is none of your business!"

Reine shrugged. Her honest tongue then blurted out, even without she herself realising what she might imply. "I heard if you shorten someone's name, that means you're pretty close with that person,"

Then it occurred to her; Neil had never called her by her name. Somehow, that annoyed her just a bit. Just a bit.

Neil stared at her, and he took a deep breath. "Hey, fire girl—"

"I have a name, too, you know!"

Neil scratched his head, "Yeah, I know…"

"Then?!"

Silence befell them, and under the orange sky, Neil's slight blush went unnoticed by Reine. Neil braved himself to ask the question he had meant to ask Gwen before he went for Valshell, and Reine herself when they were alone the last time.

"How… do you pronounce it?" He said, "Your name."

"Pronounce?"

"Say it," Neil said, "Say your name."

"Oh, its 'Rehn'."

"But it's spelled as R-E-I-N-E?"

"Yeah. But you say it 'Rehn'." Reine replied, "So you've never called my name because you don't know how?"

Neil averted his eyes from her inquiring gaze. "S… shut up!"

Then, he heard a slight laugh. "You should've asked earlier," Reine said, "I would've told you."

"Whatever."

"Now, say it," Reine said, "Say my name."

Neil took a deep breath, then he stared at her, straight into her scarlet eyes. "Reine."

A bubbling feeling rose from her stomach when she heard him calling her name for the first time.

_Why?_ She asked herself, _He was just calling me. He did what I asked him to do._

Yet, it wasn't unpleasant for her; in fact, those bubbles prompted another laugh from her. She was surprised at how—despite his unfriendliness—he could easily make her laugh.

"What's so funny?!" Neil asked, suddenly feeling nervous.

Reine put her hand over her mouth. "Nothing… Neil."

He then realised it was the first time for her to call him by his name, too. So they were even now. And somehow, her laugh had melted the ice between them earlier and Reine found it much easier to carry on the conversation.

"It's like a celebration." He replied, "You're not from around here, aren't you?" Neil asked back, finally admitting his curiosity of her.

"You can say so." Reine said, "What are you celebrating?"

"Fall."

"Season of fall? What to celebrate?"

That was when the sky darkened and soon small, spherical glows appeared around them, moving gracefully as if following the flow of Nature.

"Tonight is the Firefly Festival." Neil finally said.

"Fire…fly?"

If there was anything that could make a dragon nervous; it's fireflies. Their ethereal glow looked too much like the aura spheres that appeared just before a dragon disintegrated back to Nature.

For dragons, fireflies reminded them of death.

As if teasing them, fireflies were naturally attracted to dragons. This was a lesser-known fact about the two species, so even when a group of fireflies picked up Reine's scent and began to glow around her, Neil wasn't alarmed at all. Ironically, he found a certain beauty in that sight—an ethereal, almost surreal beauty.

Reine, like many dragons would, tensed at the sight of fireflies around her. It reminded her of that night; the night when she saw the similar glow around her parents' unmoved bodies.

"It looks like this, right…?" Reine asked lowly, "when they die."

"Hm?"

"Dragons," Reine said, trying to sound nonchalant. "There are auras around them when they die, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Why?" she asked, "Why do you become a Dragon Hunter?"

Neil took a deep breath. "You can say it's because of Allen,"

"Your cousin?"

Neil then stared at his opened palm. "I have been given power," he began, "and although I don't like it… that power… I know that I have to bear the responsibility to protect those who doesn't have the power to defend themselves."

"Protect?"

Neil clenched his fist and stared at the direction of the town's square. "Yeah, protect them… so that they can enjoy more sights like this with their loved ones."

Reine followed Neil's eyes and she could see from there that the town's square was bustling with life. It was almost packed with people who wanted to enjoy the sight of fireflies.

Was her parents killed because of this? Just for humans to enjoy the sight of fireflies?

So… if that was the case… wouldn't it be wrong for her to be here finding herself not minding the company of a human in this so called Firefly Festival—even more so a Dragon Hunter? In fact, she didn't feel being threatened at all—even with the fact that Neil Leicestria was a Dragon Hunter and the fireflies roaming around her.

Reine felt the mark on the nape of her neck burned into her skin, as if reminding her again of its existence.

* * *

_With Neil and Reine acknowledging each other by name, it seems that they have gone a step forward in their relationship._

_Yet, that mark keeps reminding Reine of something that seems to prevent her to be closer to the Dragon Hunter._

_Furthermore, why Neil cited Allen as his reason to be a Dragon Hunter?_

_What happens between Allen and Gwen during the festival?_

_Find that out on the next chapter!_

_Thank you for reading! ^^_

_Please rate and review! ^^_

**_A/N: If you are reading Colours of Our Hairs and When The Colours Fade, featuring Reine Kreiss, her name will be pronounced as RAY-nee. _****_However, in this story, I purposely chose the French pronounciation of Reine's name, which is REHN (like 'wren' the bird; it kinda rhymes with Gwen). Reason being... well, that's a story for another day._**


	13. Frozen Memories, Thawed Hearts

_Halo :) thanks for the views and reviews! Now, let's see how Allen and Gwen Fireflies Festival experience goes~_

_person: you'll know it soon enough, not this chapter, but soon hahaha this time I promise. ^^_

* * *

Allen guided Gwen towards the town square that had been packed with the other townsfolk. There was no wonder when the townspeople peered curiously at Gwen, since many of them had never exactly seen the pair of sisters who had taken refuge in Leicestria household; and many of the young men seemed to be excited when they noticed that she was a beauty.

Allen, however confident he was, still felt a bit insecure when he noticed the amount of attention Gwen had attracted although he managed to mask it with his usual high confidence. After all, they were all nothing but strangers to Gwen.

Gwen, initially nervous being in the middle of a crowd of human—especially with all those curious stares at her, thinking that they might notice that she was actually a dragon—began to relax when Allen held her hand. Somehow, knowing that Allen was right there for her calmed her head, even though the latter was, ironically, a Dragon Hunter.

Gwen exchanged some pleasantries with Elviaros townspeople and she was welcomed warmly, by both youngsters and old people alike, since Elviaros was generally a friendly town towards strangers. Seeing that, she started to smile again, one thing that didn't escape Allen's observant eyes.

However, her happiness didn't last long. Once the sky darkened and the fireflies emerged, the scene of her parents' death came back to her. It became even more terrifying when she felt that those fireflies noticed her presence and picked up her scent. Gwen quickly released her hand from Allen's grip and ran away.

Gwen ran and ran and ran; her small build perfectly facilitated her high speed. And she didn't stop until she reached the waterfall where she had first encountered Allen Leicestria, for that waterfall was actually located just at the outskirts of Elviaros.

She panted heavily as she turned back, relieved that none of the fireflies bothered to follow her. A moment later, Allen emerged from the bushes, just like the first time, only that this time he was panting just like she did.

"Why did you run, Gwen?" he asked, worried.

"That night… it was just like that." Gwen replied, trying to find the right words. "It looked just like that."

Allen slowed down his pace and walked towards Gwen. "That night…?"

"The night my parents died." Gwen replied, "The sky was full… with glow. It was…"

Gwen's words were cut short by Allen's sudden embrace. Allen pressed the slender girl towards himself; he was overwhelmed by guilt. Had he known that fireflies would evoke such memories, he wouldn't have brought her there. This time, he let go of his pride, and he said, "I'm sorry, Gwen… I didn't know…"

Gwen said nothing, and after he let go of her, both of them sat down at the edge of the stream from the waterfall and fell into silence.

Gwen, filled with the same curiosity with Reine, eventually broke the silence. "Can I ask you something?"

"You've already asked one, princess, but I give you another free question." Allen replied teasingly.

"Why did you become a Dragon Hunter?"

At that question, his face darkened. Not many people would ask that question, given that he was actually the first born of the late head of the clan. Everyone around him took it for granted—especially after his power as a Water Elementer was revealed—that he would be a Dragon Hunter himself.

In fact, Gwen was the first one to ask him bluntly why.

Allen took in a deep breath. "My father was the Lord Leicestria," he said, "One day, when Neil and I came back from our practice… we saw his dead body in a pool of blood. And a dragon towering over him."

Gwen held her breath.

"Not only that, it also killed my mother who wasn't even a fighter herself. She just happened to be there, to be by my father's side as she always had been. And because of that, she was killed alongside him." Allen clenched his fist, "I attacked the dragon, but it went away after burning our house with his fire. It took every ounce of my power then just to put it out."

Gwen turned her head at Allen, and she saw hatred in his steel blue eyes—then, a glimpse of vulnerability. "I became a Dragon Hunter not because I am the son of Lord Leicestria… I want to use my power so that no child will be left behind just like I had been because of those damned dragons. And on a more personal note, I want to exact my revenge—that is why I declined to take the position as the clan head for the time being."

"So… you hate dragons?"

"What do you think?" His tone was cold, sarcastic, and piercing.

Another silence. Gwen hadn't expected that kind of answer from Allen, although maybe she should have. Sensing her uneasiness, Allen pretended to stretch his body as he half-forced himself to smile, "Geez, look at how much information you manage to squeeze out of me! Let me commend you on your interrogation skill, or maybe I should have said your listening capability."

With that said, he stretched one of his arms towards the waterfall, and as he moved his arm back a small stream of water followed his arm movement. A turn of his wrist, the water solidified into ice and took the form of what seemingly to be a bush of flowers.

Gwen glanced at Allen and she was met with a mischievous smirk from the redhead, and that moment she knew what he was thinking. She then stretched her arms and called a wave of water from the stream and made another batch of flower bushes made from ice.

Soon, the pair of Water Elementers fell into the rhythm of a dance they invented just for themselves, drawing out water from the waterfall and formed them into some kind of plants and small amenities. When they realised they almost used up all of the water from the stream, they had turned the plain grass field into a magnificent park complete with benches, trees, bushes, even an artificial park lamps—all made of ice.

Then they laughed together. Somehow, the sudden outburst of their power seemed to have released the loads in their hearts. They looked at their creation and found that it was romantic in a way… and the fact that it was shared only between the two of them made it even more sentimental.

"It's beautiful…" Gwen finally commented.

"Because I am the one starting it," Allen nodded in agreement.

Gwen chuckled, "Yeah, right…"

Suddenly, Allen turned at her, "Good, keep smiling that way."

"Eh?"

"You are much more appealing when you're smiling, you know that?"

Gwen shook her head.

"Now I'm telling you that."

They took another look at the park before Allen turned at the sky, "It's getting late, let's go back."

Gwen shook her head, "I want to stay longer here."

However, soon a group of fireflies seemed to catch her scent and they began to crowd over the park of ice. Although their soft glow seemed to accentuate the romantic mood as it was reflected on the ice, Gwen couldn't help but tense up. Allen, noticing the change in Gwen, grabbed her hand and said, "Come on, don't be stubborn."

He raised another hand and soon the water collected in his palm formed an ice bouquet of roses. "So that you remember today," he said, handing the bouquet to Gwen. "Shall we go now?"

Gwen accepted the bouquet and held it close. _Strange_, she thought, _it was cold against my skin, but why… why something inside of me feel… warm?_

* * *

_With Allen ironically showed his vulnerable side to a dragon, it seemed that Gwen found something inside of her for Allen._

_After all, they were not so different._

_How will things go after this?_

_Stay tuned to find out! ^^_

_Thanks for reading! I'm waiting for your reviews~_


	14. The Gifts, The Agreement, Their Grudges

The next morning after the festival, Rod helped Reine out in the kitchen to prepare breakfast. "You should've been there, Reine!" Rod said as he sliced the bread. "It was super fun!"

Reine poured the warm milk into the pitcher. "Maybe next festival," she replied.

Suddenly, Gwen burst into the kitchen and grabbed Rod by his sleeves, "Whoa, whoa… what is it, Gwen?"

"How do you… express your gratitude when words alone are not enough?"

Rod raised his eyebrow, "What brings this about?"

Reine then remembered the icy arrangement of flowers that Gwen brought after she went to the festival with Allen. The only thing that prevented her from melting it away (because it dropped the temperature of the room, especially near the bed) was the fact that Gwen was really fond of that… icy stuff.

"Must be because of the bucket Allen gave her last night."

"Bucket?" Rod asked in disbelief, "You must've mean bouquet."

As far as Rod's knowledge of Allen, Allen was a bouquet guy instead of a... bucket guy.

"Oh, yeah, whatever."

Rod put his hand on his cheeks as if he was deep in thought, although actually he knew what he would suggest to the bluenette. He then brightened up and said, "A hug!"

"Hug?" Gwen echoed.

"Yes! A hug!" He then grabbed Reine and put his arms casually around her shoulders and pulled her close, "Like this!"

"Hey!" Reine cried out in shock.

Suddenly Neil emerged and reached for a glass before pouring himself some warm milk. "Be done with it and go to work, Rod," he said without staring at them.

Reine didn't really mind when Rod suddenly pulled her for the thing called a 'hug', but when she saw Neil… her stomach suddenly turned into knots in a way she would describe as akin to…

Guilt.

She saw him turning his back and now all she could see was his broad back that was covered in his usual maroon overcoat.

_Why should I feel… guilty?_ She asked herself, dumbfounded.

* * *

Despite all that, the breakfast was as amiable as usual—and today was even more cheerful because finally Elli agreed to let Neil go back to his work. For Neil, whose love for animals was immense, that 'okay' meant the world to him.

After breakfast, the three men headed to their respective workplace. Initially, they walked in silence until Allen decided to start a conversation.

"You must be thankful to Gwen's sister, Neil,"

"Reine?" Neil asked, "Why?"

"Don't you know? She was the one taking care of you for three nights straight until you broke your fever!"

"She didn't catch any sleep that time," Rod added in.

"How about Rach?"

Allen stopped walking for a moment and put his hand on his hip in his usual manner, "Are you saying that this whole time you're thinking that Rach was your healer? I know you aren't as intelligent as me, Neil, but… seriously?"

"Hey, hey, hey," Neil interjected, "I woke up and Rach was the first thing I saw! What do you think I would think?"

Allen shrugged, "Okay, that's justified." He continued, "anyway, now you know that's not the case. Be thankful to me, cousin, for I am the one who had opened your eyes to the truth."

"Yeah, whatever, Allen."

Allen laughed. Despite Neil's seemingly nonchalant attitude, the redhead knew that Neil was actually thinking about it very seriously.

* * *

Allen was on his lunch break, when he decided to take a quick stroll on a park nearby and that was when he saw it. Gwen embraced Gill. Although it seemed to him that it was merely a friendly embrace (because it was, since—unbeknownst to him—Gwen was thanking the platinum blond young man for teaching her how to play harmonica), Allen couldn't put out the fire of jealousy he felt rising in his heart.

The smoke from that fire clouded his eyes so badly that he didn't notice it when Gwen walked up to him with a package that was supposed to be his lunch and greeted him with a smile that he would otherwise love.

"…Allen?"

Her voice finally snapped him back. "Yes?"

Gwen suddenly threw her arms around him, giving him an embrace, too. "Thank you for the bouquet!" she said. "Rod told me that if I want to thank someone that words alone can't do, I should hug them!"

_What the…?_ Allen thought inwardly.

* * *

Just like any other day after a long day at work, Rod waved his hand excitedly when he spotted his redheaded cousin. What Rod didn't know was that Allen had something different for him.

"What did you teach Gwen to do?" Allen asked as soon as they were within each other's earshot. He didn't even bother to greet Neil—and this time Allen was thankful for Neil being the way he was because Neil wouldn't mind the fact that he didn't greet him just now, being Neil.

Besides, Neil had something else in his mind; so, even if Allen had greeted him, chances were he wouldn't reply him.

"Huh? What?" Rod asked back innocently.

Allen clenched his fists and trapped the ginger head between them, rolling his fists against his head, prompting him to send out a cry for help that was ignored by his older brother. "Whhhhyyyy~?" he cried out.

"This is for making Gwen hugging Gill. In front of me." Allen said coldly.

"But I thought she wanted to thank you for the bouquet!"

"Was that why you're hugging Reine the first thing in the morning, Rod?" Neil asked, not bothering to veil his curiosity.

Somehow Rod knew, whatever his answer would be, his fate wouldn't be too much different. He held his peace, only for Allen to torture him a little bit longer (and Neil ignoring his further cry for help) until Allen had had his share of revenge. "Next time, teach properly, will you?"

Rod rubbed his temples, pouting. "Okaaay…"

* * *

After the dinner, Neil asked Reine for some of her time just before the latter was immersed in the housework.

"What is it?" Reine asked curiosly. "I have to clean the dishes, you know."

Neil took out a brown packet and gave it to Reine. "I heard from Rod… you have a pet now." He said, "This is bird feed."

"Why are you giving me this?"

Neil scratched his head, "Well… I thought you might be confused what to feed your bird with, so…"

Reine shrugged. "I usually feed him with leftover corns or whatever grains I can get."

Neil cleared his throat and gathered his courage. "This is a thanks for taking care of me last time." He finally said, "I heard it from Allen."

This time, the pinkette beamed into a sincere smile. "Thank you, then."

Neil found out maybe sometimes being honest with his feelings wasn't so bad… if her smile would be his reward.

They were interrupted by Gwen's sudden call for Reine. "I found this in the room!" she said, holding out a stack of parchment. Reine turned around and took the item from Gwen, and she froze.

It was a document written in both human language and Draconian. What's more, the Draconian part of the document was ended with a peculiar mark.

Reine turned towards Neil, "What is this?"

Neil took the document from her hand and similarly, he froze. He then turned around and called for both Allen and Rod, and before they knew it, all five of them were gathered around the dining table.

"I found it in my room," Gwen said.

"Well, this document must have come from the archive that I manage to secure from my old house." Allen replied, "I've never seen this before, but this is the signature of my father."

The mark on the Draconian part made Reine couldn't stop thinking about it. If what was written in Draconian was true… this might change the course of dragons' history for the age to come.

Yet, she couldn't fully understand the part of the document that was written in human language. She couldn't make a judgement before she knew what exactly was going on. Even the fact that there was a document that was fairly new, written in modern Draconian in a Dragon Hunters' house was already… something.

_What should I do?_ She asked herself. She then touched the back of her neck, as if trying to find some kind of guidance from the mark that had been etched on it.

Her father had been rather different from his ancestors—that much, she knew for sure.

But to agree on a peace settlement with humans?

Yet, after she stayed with these humans for a while, she had to admit that they weren't as awful as what was described to her by her governess back in her home. They could be threatening, yes, but not so monster-like or as brutal as they were depicted in the stories passed down to her.

"I wonder what is written in this language, though," Rod said, scratching his head. "I have no idea what language is this."

Reine took in a deep breath. The seal on the paper on the Draconian part was clearly the mark that was etched on the back of her neck. The slight moment she touched the document, she could even feel a hint of her father's aura that was sealed alongside it as per custom.

It was clearly The Royal Seal—the seal that marked the monarch of the Draconian kingdom; the mark that now served as a proof of Reine's standing as the undisputed Queen of Dragons.

"It's written in Draconian," Reine finally announced. "We can read that part to you."

The three Dragon Hunters stared at her with disbelief, "You speak Draconian?" Rod asked.

"Well, if I'm not wrong, there is a clan who can speak Draconian," Allen mused, "It's a very ancient clan, though… just like Leicestria clan. According to the legends, before the separation between humans and dragons, this clan acted as their bridge since they are the only group of humans who can speak Draconian."

"Wow! That's cool!" Rod exclaimed.

"What is written in your language?" Gwen asked, bringing the conversation back to the topic at hand.

Gwen was surprised that Reine would reveal that they could speak Draconian, but knowing her sister, Gwen believed that she had thought through it so she decided to play along.

Allen cleared his throat. "It's an agreement for a peace with the dragons." He said.

Both Gwen and Reine were shocked.

"Why?" Rod asked.

"Because… that was what is written in Draconian, too."

Many thoughts bombarded the five people around that table, especially the two dragons:

_If there already is a signed peace agreement… why Father and Mother were killed by a human that night? And why Father had had the time to pass the Seal to Reine… as if he knew that it would be his last night?_

_Why Lord and Lady Leicestria were killed by a dragon? The Royal Seal should have ensured that this shall be carried out as an order… and no dragon could rebel against it… Would the Royal Seal not have the power of subjugation if it were marked on the paper instead of a direct oral order from the monarch?_

Even as the night grew darker, none of the question could be answered.

But there was one thing that they were sure of:

Both of their parents, both the late King of Dragon and the late Lord Leicestria had agreed to stop these millennia of war between humans and dragons.

And this was leaked to some humans and dragons, which decided to take action against it.

* * *

_While Allen is meant to be the head of his clan, the legendary Leicestria, Reine turns out to be to Queen of Dragons._

_With the peace agreement revealed... how will the Gwen and Reine, as well as the Leicestrias go about it?_

_Are they facing different enemies? Or are they, after all, facing one common enemies?_

_Will Reine and Allen let go of their respective quest for revenge, or will this fuel it to an even greater heights?_

_Stay tuned to find out!_

_Thanks for reading! Please rate and review! ^^_

**_A/N: you know, in the game if you are hitting on Neil and Allen respectively, Neil will give you animal treats no matter who you are (friend, girlfriend, and even wife) while Allen will lavish you with a bouquet. I thought I could make a chapter on that fact, albeit some adjustment hahahaha._**

**_Everytime my in-game MC gets her birthday present (she is married to Neil) which is an animal treat, I can't help but say: Neil, after that romantic dinner you give her... animal treat? Seriously?!_**

**_Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter ^^_**


	15. Not A Home

_Last chapter reveals Gwen and Reine's royal ancestry. Not only that, now we know Reine is the Queen of Dragons._

_hannah: aand yes, that means Gwen is a princess! I think it just fits with how Allen will call his in-game girlfriend 'princess' hahahaha_

* * *

"Huh? Books about dragons?"

Her conversation with Allen prompted Gwen's curiosity on how humans saw her race. She tried to look for that book in the library, only to be told by Maria—more commonly called Mary—the raven-haired librarian that such books should be in the mayor's household possession due to its antiquity.

"Yes, there are some legend books about dragons in my house. Why do you need them?"

"Because Allen is a Dragon Hunter," she replied simply.

A string in his heart tightened at the mention of Allen's name. Surely, Gwen was very close to Allen—it was said that the element of an Elementer could influence his or her attraction, and Gill knew both of them were Water Elementers.

How he wished he were a Water Elementer now.

Then again, Gill knew all hope wasn't lost. There was one thing he could be proud of: his harmonica skill. He often hung out with Gwen just to play harmonica together, and Gwen didn't bother to express her enjoyment, which pleased Gill. Many women in Elviaros preferred to conceal their feelings and sentiments, but Gwen was the complete opposite of it: she would freely express her feelings as it was.

"We can go to my house to retrieve the book, if you like."

Gwen nodded enthusiastically and they walked towards his house, which was attached to the town hall.

Gwen was greeted with a great array of display as she stepped into the mayor's house. There were paintings, sculptures, jewellery, and even weapons. They were arranged so neatly on the display cases with no speck of dust on them.

"My father is a collector, and he is so proud of them," Gill explained as they walked through the display. "He used to travel a lot, you see…"

Gwen nodded as she scanned through the objects which all seemed foreign to her eyes. She couldn't fathom how raw gold could be moulded into such intricate shapes, or how the people on the walls could stand still without even moving an inch.

It was then her eyes were caught to attention by an awkward space of the display; there was a gap between a two blades and there was an empty stand. Gill noticed it as well, and he sighed long, "There used to be a short sword there," he said, "one of my father's prized possession, a masterpiece by Saibara himself."

"By… Saibara?"

"Yes, I remember the handle was of dragon scales pattern… it was so intricate." Gill continued, "One morning, it vanished from the display. Someone must've stolen it. My father was so upset by its loss."

Gwen closed her eyes and took in a deep breath.

_Reine,_

Since the moment of their birth, Reine and Gwen were blessed with a form of telepathy that they often used to their advantage. Gwen wasn't sure whether they could still do it while in their human forms, but there was no harm trying, was there?

_Huh? Why?_ It was Reine, obviously shocked by this. _So we can use this in our human form, huh._

_Apparently._

_So? What is it?_

_The sword. It belonged to the mayor._

A pause. Then Reine said, _So… it's him?_

_Gill said the sword was stolen, though._

_Oh…_

_That means… anyone in this town can do it._

_Yes,_ Reine agreed.

"…Gwen?"

Gwen opened her eyes in panic to find Gill staring at her with a concerned look on his face, "Y-yes?"

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

Gill then handed over a thick book with brown cover and yellowed pages. "This may be the book you're looking for. It's about dragons."

Gwen received the book, her arms slightly dropped since she wasn't expecting it to be _that _heavy. The cover was cold against her skin. "When do you want it back?"

"Take your time," Gill replied with a slight smile. "No one looks for that kind of book again these days."

Gwen bowed her head slightly, "Thank you."

When Gill and Gwen turned around, they found the Mayor was walking towards them. "Oh, if it isn't the young lady who stays with the Leicestrias!" he says, "How fare you?"

"Uh, I'm fine…"

"And your sister?"

"She is, too."

"I heard from Gill you've finally remembered your name," his moustache moved outwards as he smiled, "Gwen, isn't it? Such a lovely name."

A shudder went through her body as he said her name and then Gwen remembered Reine was reluctant to give their names to him. Surely she had her reason… even if Reine could only say that it was 'instinct', there would be no smoke if there hadn't been a fire.

"How about your sister? Has she remembered hers? Or have you remembered her name, too?"

Gwen wasn't sure what to answer. Panicking, she called for Reine in her head.

_What is it this time?_

_The mayor. He is here._

_Then?_

_He asked for your name._

A pause. The mayor's unbelievably dark eyes were hovering over her and somehow Gwen felt powerless under his gaze. Much to her surprise, Reine answered:

_Tell him, then._

It was as if Reine understood the pressure that the Mayor gave out.

"It's… Reine."

"Ah… such a wonderful name!" the mayor beamed, "I hope you enjoy your stay here… think of this place as home, yes?"

Home. That night, the night she watched her parents died, she knew she had lost her home. She knew Reine knew, too, because Reine immediately took her away from the castle and they began their journey to find their parents' murderer.

That was how they had gotten to Elviaros in the first place.

Think of it as home?

Yeah, right.

* * *

_It is clear that the person they are looking for—the murderer of their parents—is in Elviaros._

_How can they call Elviaros as their home, then?_

_On a side note, it seems that Mayor Xaviero is an intimidating person for both sisters... will this affect Gwen's relationship with Gill, mayor's adopted son?_

_Stay tuned for the next update!_

_Thanks for reading ^^ please rate and review!_

**_A/N: hey guys, a few chapters ago, I told you that I'll explain why in this story, French pronounciation of 'Reine' is used instead. Besides to make it rhymes more with Gwen, that's because the French meaning for 'Reine' is actually 'Queen'. That's why Reine is told why she is named 'Reine' in the story. I hope this explains it ^^_**


	16. Frozen

_Hi guys, now is the time for season change! Tadah!_

_On an extra note, you will find a certain scene in this chapter sooo similar to a certain movie. Sorry, I just couldn't hold myself back. ^^'_

_Disclaimer: I do not own that movie. And I do not own Harvest Moon. blah blah blah you know how it goes._

_hannah: 1. I actually came from Indonesia, but now I'm living in Singapore for my studies ^^_

_2. Yeap, she is the Queen because she is the elder twin, making her the eldest daughter ^^_

_3. I'm curious of why you asked me of the first question hahahaha... so my question will be: why?_

* * *

Once again, winter greeted Elviaros. The first batch of snow had fallen since dusk, so when everyone finally woke up, the ground was already covered in white.

Although she had to admit that winter offered beautiful, serene scenery, Reine had always detested winters. And that had exponentially amplified now that she was in her human form. The cold had enough power to force her to spend majority of her day sleeping inside two blankets cocooned over her. Besides, the sun—the source of power of Fire Elementers—wasn't particularly strong in winters, thus weakened her considerably.

Her biggest concern would be to maintain her aura level so that she could maintain her human form; if her aura level dropped beyond a certain level, she would indeed reverted back to her dragon form and of course she couldn't afford that for now.

In contrast, Gwen found her joy in winter. Snow, being made of frozen water and thus akin to ice, was another thing that she could control very well. And so Gwen had been spending time playing snow with Allen… in their uniquely Water Elementers' way. They even set out to create a snow castle on the backyard of the house.

That scene inspired the lonely Rod. He walked in a skipped beat towards his elder brother's room and knocked on its wooden door.

"Neil," he said, "Do you wanna build a snowman?"

No reply.

"It doesn't have to be a snowman~"

"Go away, Rod."

Feeling dejected, Rod hung his head down. "Okay, bye…"

To be fair to the Lightning Elementer, winter wasn't exactly his favourite season although he was born in winter himself. His reason would be similar with how Reine was gravely weakened in the season; his element would be at its lowest point during winter, where thunderstorms were very unlikely to occur. Since an Elementer—whether human or dragon—physical condition would be affected by the strength of their aura, which was determined partly by the strength of their element, Neil had never been in his best during his own birth season.

Rod decided to try his luck with Reine, thinking that she might be bored being in the room almost all day long (and since he really enjoyed her company). He walked up to the attic and knocked on the door of the sisters' room. "Reine," he called out, "do you wanna build a snowman?"

Just like when it had been Neil, there was no response.

"It doesn't have to be a snowman~"

Again, no response.

This time, Rod began to worry. He then decided to open the door, which was strangely unlocked. And then, he found no one in the room.

Rod ran down the stairs and began to look for Reine inside the house. She was nowhere. He then headed towards Allen and Gwen who were still engrossed in refining their snow castle into a more solid ice castle, complete with the ice stonewalls surrounding it.

"Guys! Did you see Reine?"

Both of them shook their head.

"Shit! She's nowhere to be found!"

Gwen's face grew pale. She tried to call for Reine telepathically, _Reine, where are you?_

There was no response.

Rod came in again and rapped at Neil's door. "Reine's missing!"

This time, he opened it, "What the hell are you saying? Isn't she in her room, sleeping like a log?"

"I have been looking for her _everywhere_!"

Neil could see the grave look Rod gave him. He knew his younger brother wasn't kidding him.

Gwen and Allen came in with even worse news, "A snowstorm is approaching!"

Both brothers then reached for their winter coats. "We're staying here," Allen said, "if snowstorm does occur before either of you came back with her, we'll head out as well."

Neil and Rod nodded in an agreement. In snowstorms, only advanced Water Elementer of Allen and Gwen's calibre could navigate their way around safely; moreover, both of them could track others' aura pretty well.

* * *

When Reine realised Sol (now clothed in brilliant red feathers that turned into a shade of vermillion at the end of his wings) hadn't been in his usual perching spot, she grew worried of him and decided to head out to look for Sol in the forest, Sol's favourite playing ground.

However, when she reached the forest, there was no sign of Sol anywhere. Reine plodded her way to the depth of the forest, calling out for Sol at the top of her lungs. The forest was silent, except for the sound of the rattling branches.

"Sol!"

Suddenly, a pile of snow fell on her from the tree branch above her head, burying her. An excruciatingly sharp pain immediately shot through her nerve system. Reine fought against the cold attack to go back to the surface, but when she could see the faint sunlight again, all of her energy was drained.

Her head was heavy, and she couldn't fight against the muscles that shut her eyelids as the cold began to numb her nerves away.

She then heard the wind grew stronger… she knew a storm was coming.

She could hear Gwen calling out to her in her head, but she couldn't reply back.

_Am I going to die here?_

* * *

She didn't know how long had passed when she felt a warmth touched her skin. Almost reflexively she curled herself against that new source of warmth. She then felt her body was moving although her legs were still too numb.

_What is happening?_ She asked herself.

After some moments, that warmth expanded, giving her enough energy to slightly opened her eyes. The first sight that her eyes laid on was a small fire on a stack of firewood. Resonating to her weakening aura, the fire kept dying down, unable to maintain its glow.

She heard a sound of finger snapping and then the fire was reignited, only to begin dying out a few moments later. Another snap, and another spark flew towards the firewood.

The cycle kept going on and on endlessly. Reine shifted her eyes and found that her skin began to show her scales once again—the red colour on her skin actually came from the colour of her scales instead of being frostbitten. However, as the warmth was being laboriously maintained, she saw that her scale markings grew fainter… slowly but surely.

Then she heard a voice:

"Don't die on me…"

* * *

_How will she survive the storm?_

_Who is her saviour?_

_Stay tuned for the next update!_

**_A/N: Okay, I guess by now you know I was referring to the movie Frozen. I just can't help but imagine that Rod would be Anna-like, asking his elder sibling "do you wanna build a snowman?" in an innocent tone while Neil would be Elsa-like, coldly brushing him off. And of course, out of all of the characters, Allen and Gwen are the ones whose powers are similar to Elsa's... and the cold would never bother them anyway HAHAHA_**

**_yeah, I think Frozen is a great movie. Really. If you haven't watched it, you really should!_**

**_Disclaimer (again): I do not own Frozen. Just simply a fan._**


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